During my academic journey, I experienced a turning point as I began to explore my identity and its depths. Particularly, I focused on the role of home and origin and its relation towards building an identity. This introspective phase of my academic career was characterized by experimental work with different techniques and styles. Over the time, a particular interest crystallized: the portrait. I realized that portraits offered a unique opportunity to explore the spectrum between identity and anonymity – the two topics which triggered my interest and fascinated me from the beginning.
Portraits allowed me to look at the true faces behind the „masks“ while reflecting the meaning of origin and identity. In the 3rd semester, I firstly created the Konterfei magazine under the direction of Professor Lars Harmsen. Now I have the opportunity to curate the complex subject of portraits in a structured way. I want to create a magazine which shows a kind of collection that moves away from social norms and conventions. In my thesis „The Face as Canvas – A Visual Spectrum of Portrait Art“ I not only delved into the historical development of portraiture, also I explored contemporary phenomena as well as sociological and philosophical aspects of portraiture. In particular, I shed light on how portrait art can influence identity.
Through interviews with artists, I gather deeper insights into the inspiration, roots and motivation that lead them to devote themselves to this art form. Firmly I believe that the subject is highly relevant to society as selfies are ubiquitous and self-presentation seems to abound. Is it a reasonable assumption that „the image“ is losing its value?
In my curated magazine, I want to break the overwhelming flood of algorithm and present a carefully selected collection of awe-inspiring works which open up new perspectives and offers a holistic understanding of portraits and the artists behind them. I want to create something between classic, isolated publications of portrait art, such as „Portraits – A History“ by Andreas Beyer or „The History of Ugliness“ by Umberto Eco and photo magazines like „Tush“ or „Clash“. I admire the high esthetical standards and conceptual value and take that as lead. My aim is to build a bridge between those facets of representation and show a broader spectrum of portrait art.
Konterfei, Alexander Reinhard, IG
production: Cardobard Cover Printet Silver Foil, 300 gs/m
format: 160×240 mm, 404 pages
paper inside: SALZER, 80 gs/m
swiss brochure, adhesive binding
fonts: Suisse Int’l Neue, OT Brut, Switzer
printing: Fh Dortmund
supervision: Prof. Lars Harmsen
