Vincent Wechselberger's "Dreams and How to Keep Them" Documents a Decade of Berlin Life
Vincent Wechselberger has unveiled his second photobook, titled "Dreams and How to Keep Them," a decade after relocating from a small village in Austria to Berlin at the age of eighteen to avoid military duty. He honed his craft at Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie and gained experience in Berlin's vibrant nightlife, which inspired his debut book, "Ready," focusing on queer sex work. The latest work delves deeper into his introspection, showcasing images of intimate moments, including naked bodies, kisses, and friendships, as well as scenes from Paris and Kyiv. It contemplates themes of excess, daily life, and the essence of dreams, proposing that some dreams might be better left behind than cherished, as Wechselberger captures fragments of experiences rather than concrete memories.
Key facts
- Vincent Wechselberger's second photobook is titled "Dreams and How to Keep Them."
- Wechselberger moved from a roughly one-hundred-person village in Austria's St. Pölten district to Berlin ten years ago at age eighteen.
- He left Austria to avoid compulsory military service and a constricting environment.
- He studied at the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin.
- His first photobook, "Ready," portrayed queer sex work and drew on his own side work in the trade.
- The new book juxtaposes naked bodies in hotel rooms, kisses, friends on dancefloors and after festivals, and a bathroom mirror self-portrait with images of his father reading in Paris, his mother in bed, Berlin rooftops at dusk, a sunrise behind curtains, trees in Kyiv, and a person dancing in Berlin snow.
- The book presents excess and daily life, sex and family, night and morning on equal footing.
- The title is described as functioning more like an incantation than a guide, since dreams cannot be preserved, only their remnants.
Entities
Artists
- Vincent Wechselberger
Institutions
- Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie
- Monopol
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- St. Pölten
- Austria
- Paris
- France
- Kyiv
- Ukraine