A series of photos takes us on a journey through contemporary Jewish life in Vienna, then on to other parts of the city and globe. Enjoy the trip in the creative hands of photographer Ouriel Morgensztern at the Jewish Museum.
- Immerse yourself in the diverse Jewish community through the medium of photography
- Other destinations include Tel Aviv, Rwanda and the USA
- Runs Oct 20, 2021 – Mar 27, 2022
- Curated by Danielle Spera & Astrid Peterle
- See also:
- Current photography exhibitions in Vienna
Rendezvous in Vienna
(Press photo © Ouriel Morgensztern)
Maybe it’s just me, but photography exhibitions seem ever more popular in Vienna. Perhaps photos offer their own avenue of escape from pandemic restrictions and the scars of lockdowns.
A 2021/2022 addition is a small exhibition around the work of Ouriel Morgensztern, who straddles various photographic genres: from art installations to portraiture and press photos. (He has a lovely turn of written phrase, too: see the last line of his short bio.)
Morgensztern was born in Paris and grew up in France, but his travels eventually brought him to Vienna. He has lived and worked here for the past couple of decades or so.
The Rendezvous in Vienna exhibition focuses on the Jewish community and Jewish heritage in the Austrian capital. The variety of images ranges from Holocaust memorials to a child’s encounter with Donald Duck.
The last exhibition to cover such ground at the Jewish Museum was Vienna Today 2012, where photos by Josef Polleross reflected the diversity of local Jewish life just under ten years ago. An “update” seems a timely and welcome addition to the museal landscape.
Equally, we have the chance to explore some of Morgensztern’s other work, particularly travel and architectural perspectives. So we see photos of rural France and Rwanda, the concrete behemoths of Tel Aviv, or the buildings of Vienna and New York.
His ongoing and impressive black and white Around in Vienna project, for example, takes the viewer from small Biedermeier (if I got my architecture right) dwellings across historical magnificence to interwar social housing and the modern day.
Dates, tickets & tips
Enjoy the results of Morgensztern’s deft and insightful camera work from October 20th, 2021 to March 27th, 2022. A normal entrance ticket to the Jewish Museum gets you into the temporary exhibitions, too.
How to get to the photos
Find your way to the main Jewish Museum site (scroll to the bottom for travel tips) on Dorotheergasse. Morgensztern’s photos occupy the smaller exhibition room on the first floor. The larger galleries feature a look at the Viennese Rothschilds for much of the same time.
For more documentary photo projects, go across town to the Kunst Haus Wien for their excellent Susan Meiselas retrospective. This includes a closer look at the “story” of her famous Molotov Man photo.
Address: Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna