Untitled (theatre) by Fall 2006 Hot Shot Hans Gindlesberger

Hans Gindlesberger
Currently residing in: Buffalo, NY

Website: http://www.gindlesberger.com/

Work Statement:
As a result of neglect or inability to modernize, the American small town has fallen victim to economic decline and is forced to consider its relevance in contemporary society. As a remedy, there is a rush to embrace a nostalgic image of an idealized past. However, by adopting this mythical image, the small town becomes a simulated space. This work explores the strained relationship of an anachronistic simulation with the present reality and the residual effect on individual identity.

Probing the psychology of a transient character inserted within a variety of constructed environments calls to attention how the individual is affected by his environment. This staging references the form of theater along with silent film and pushes otherwise realistic images toward the threshold of a dreamlike space. These photographic scenes suspend a transitory moment in which the protagonist is presented with an opportunity to make a decision. In his aimlessness, the character is a product of the changing relationship of the small town to mass society. The repeated emphasis on the will of the character and the absence of decisive action renders these situations absurd and interrogates contemporary concerns about identity, authenticity, and the loss of belonging.

Bio:
The experience of growing up in the small town Midwest is the root of my work. I stayed in Ohio through the completion of my BFA at Bowling Green State University before moving to Buffalo, NY to pursue an MFA. Photography appealed to me first as a common interest with my father and then as a way to engage in a different way of looking at my environment. Currently, I hold positions as an adjunct instructor at several schools in Western New York. Aside from making work, I have enjoyed traveling extensively for the past several years, both throughout the US and abroad.