Digital exhibition: “Politics of (In)visibility” (2020)

This exhibition contains 17 experimental films that were created by Master students in anthropology, during the course “The Politics of (In)visibility” at the University of Vienna. The films were produced in May/June 2020, during the first lockdown of the pandemic in Vienna. The assignment was to “express theory through film”, and to take theoretical inspiration from the course’s readings in visibility studies. While the films are highly diverse in form, they all reflect on patterns of visibility and invisibility – either by reflecting on the visual discourses surrounding the pandemic, or by showing themes that were rendered invisible during the pandemic but remain important.

This exhibition was opened on June 30th 2020 at the garden and courtyard of the Volkskundemuseum. The films were made accessible through posters with QR codes, so that audiences could watch them on their own smartphones while maintaining social distance during this open air event.

This event was made possible by our partners at the Volkskundemuseum and the Mostothek, especially Lena Nothdurfter, Reinhold Schachner and Bernhard Kostron and the exhibition team: Sanderien Verstappen, Viktoria Paar, Anja Natmessnig, Katharina Brunner, Lara Dik and Lena Feichtinger.

To see the films click here

Read the article about this event:

Verstappen, Sanderien. "Hidden behind toilet rolls: visual landscapes of COVID-19." Focaal Blog, 15 January 2021