Eclectic Approaches | Erli Grünzweil

Erli Grünzweil is a photographer & Graphic Designer based in Vienna. He has worked as a graphic designer at Monopol Verlag and is now studying applied photography and time-based media at Die Angewandte.

When and how did your journey as an artist begin?

With 15 I started to photograph small hardcore/punk/screamo concerts in the austrian countryside. I did concert photography until 22 and did a college for graphic design. Afterwards I worked as a graphic designer. Two years ago I decided to focus on photography and try to combine it with the graphical view and know-how, so I started to study photography. And now here I am.

What camera(s) do you prefer to use?

A Nikon D810 and mostly a 105 mm lens.

Could you describe a bit about the type of photography/design do you pursue?

I try to combine street photography with still lifes—snapshots and staged situations or fact and fiction—augmented with digital manipulation and computer generated stuff. With the combination I question photography as a medium and mechanism of commerce and politics.

What is your greatest source of inspiration?

Strolling around, art history and watching/reading news.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

Sometimes artificial or commercial, sometimes natural and emotional—it is an eclectic approach.

Are there any projects you are currently pursuing or would like to pursue?

Recently I worked on a series/book about the political and social situation in Austria and Europe which isn’t released yet. At the moment I work on a long-term series of portraits—a more or less new field for me.

What general process do you undergo to produce your work?

It starts with an idea, an object or a topic and an urge to photograph or realize it—taking pictures, selecting, combining, editing/manipulating, taking pictures again, sequencing and before and between thinking and re-thinking.