Xaver Könneker
based in Rotterdam, NL.
is a visual artist, teacher, and researcher who intertwines cultural theory with photographic practice. His work often reflects on the relationship between mortality, identity, structures and visual culture. The quote by Lucian Freud: “The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.” strongly resonates with the way he thinks and works. Intimately related to this, his work investigates the socially conditioned modality of looking, probing into how our social, professional, and political backgrounds frame perception and perceivability.CV
Kodak Knows No Dark Days
(Video Installation)
In 'Kodak Knows No Dark Days' Xaver Könneker examines the peculiar intersection between the smile, death and the practice of forensic odontology. By tracing the history of Kodak and its unintended link with forensic identification, he invites us to radically rethink what it means to smile for a photograph.
13’58” three-channel video installation
Documentation of three channel video installation presented at KABK Graduation Show 2022 in The Hague (NL).
*Full video shared on request