Erich Hörtnagl – to be a man

Erich Hörtnagl was born in Austria in 1950 and trained at the Akademie für angewandte Kunst in Vienna and at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia film school in Rome. He has lived in Sweden since 1979 and works as a theater and film director and film producer with all of Europe as his field of work. He has received many awards for his film work, which includes feature films as well as documentaries for cinema and television.

In parallel, Erich also works as a photographer, graphic artist, and sculptor. His works have been shown at international exhibitions and art fairs. He is a member of the Grafiska sällskapet and Centrum för fotografi in Sweden and Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie in Germany. Erich is represented in various European and American museums, art galleries, and in public and regional institutions and has carried out commissions for public decorations in Stockholm and Skåne. In 2019, the book Sehnsucht Meer/ La nostalgia del mare, in both German and Italian translation, was published with Erich’s photos about the longing for happiness by the Adriatic Sea. In 2023, the photo book to be a man was published by DCV, Berlin, in German and English, with Erich’s photos about the role of men in today’s society.

to be a man is an exhibition and a photo book. The photographs are observations of men from different cultures and social strata, a presentation of possible facets of what it can mean to be a man and a human being today. But it is also an invitation to interactivity and discussion about clichés about masculinity, gender roles, and gender stereotypes. The black and white images, with their gray areas and nuances between black and white, invite reflection on the role of man and in what disguises it was once possible to realize one’s masculinity. A visual meta-narrative lures us into a trap from which we can only escape forward: through self-reflection and by questioning our own prejudices and norms.

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(Centrum) is a series of exhibitions shown at Galleri Format, Projektrum Hjärne, Kristianstad Art Gallery, and Tjörnedala Art Gallery during the period April 19 – June 9. Eight photographers participate – Linnéa Cramer, Erich Hörtnagl, Axel Lundgren, Alice Millet, Anna Nordquist Andersson, Jens Nordström, Johanna Schartau, and Henrik Wejfeldt. Their works revolve around issues of representation, norms, equality, identity, exclusion, place, belonging, history, and the future. The project is carried out by the Center for Photography with the support of Region Skåne.

Read more about (Centrum) and the other exhibitions in the project here.