In ‘No. 10,’ the young girl looks up from her smartphone. She is holding it with both hands, with one thumb above the screen as though she is already typing,...
In ‘No. 10,’ the young girl looks up from her smartphone. She is holding it with both hands, with one thumb above the screen as though she is already typing, or she is about to start. She glances sideways at the viewer, suggesting that she will pick up where she left off any moment. In the background, there is a swimming pool, a deck, and further behind there lies a perfect ocean horizon. The scene on the canvas seems to be set in a resort. The image presented in ‘No. 10’ is very typical of the late 2010s, and thus Dieter Bauer captures a specific moment in contemporary history. The everyday object of the smartphone pervades various social situations, it is brought along on people’s travels, even as they search for a getaway from their ordinary settings. It distracts users from their surroundings and from the people around them. In this piece, the girl’s attention seems to be most focused on her mobile phone, despite there being much in around her that she can explore and enjoy. This piece seems to relate to wider societal discussions about allowing children to have access to smartphones, and the moral questions that arise on this topic.
Hypermoralismus, Hipphalle, Gmunden, 2020
Vermessung des Luxus, Museum Angerlehner, Thalheim bei Wels, 2019
Galerie Schloss Puchheim, Attnang-Puchheim, 2018