Pension Schlange

Pension Schlange turns the mechanics of classic animal photography on its head. Instead of waiting for hours until the animal to be captured shows itself, this photographer hangs on until it skulks off, allowing its terrain to appear for what it is: a display case designed by humans, a staged nature with sculptural or abstract qualities.

The interest is in the simulation, the fake: the artificial as the cultural constant that is in evidence throughout and a defining characteristic of our contemporary society of the spectacle. Historically speaking, the zoo, as the ancestor of today’s theme and amusement parks, was where culture and nature first encountered each other in such direct confrontation, and it continues to inform how we relate to animals.