16 June | Talk: Fotografie im Spannungsfeld zwischen Forschung und künstlerischer Praxis by Gregor Sailer

Talk (DE): Photography at the Intersection of Research and Artistic Practice
16.06.2026, 18:00
With Gregor Sailer, moderated by Sabine Gamper

Gregor Sailer’s talk offers insights into his photographic work, which connects artistic practice at the margins of human civilization with scientific research and investigative methods. The artist is interested in how landscapes are transformed by human activity, as well as in the political, military, and economic implications of architecture. At its core is the question of the relationship between image production, scientific inquiry, and architectural context.

His projects require months of research and extended stays under extreme conditions. The conceptual preparation of his work, his navigation of structural and political barriers, and the strategies he develops to overcome them are presented through his two most recent long-term projects, Cockaigne and The Polar Silk Road.

Cockaigne engages with the future of global food production—a journey through sci-fi worlds and dystopian landscapes. The Polar Silk Road examines current geopolitical and economic developments in the Arctic region.

In doing so, Gregor Sailer also reflects on the positioning of his work between artistic photography and documentary practice, between image construction and critical analysis. His projects open up new perspectives on complex global interconnections and highlight the role of photography as an analytical tool.

Gregor Sailer was born in 1980 in Schwaz, Tyrol. His work has received numerous awards and has been presented in national and international solo and group exhibitions, including in New York, London, Arles, Milan, Vienna, Geneva, Barcelona, Prague, Tbilisi, Berlin, and Budapest. Many of his photographic series have been published as photobooks, most recently Cockaigne, The Polar Silk Road, The Potemkin Village, and Unseen Places. Gregor Sailer lives and works in Tyrol.

Location: Foto Forum
Language: German