Martin Liebscher
Liebscher Bros & Friends Martin Liebscher
23.11.2003 – 04.01.2004

Self-portraits have a long tradition in art history. For centuries, artists have used this genre to affirm their own existence, reflect on the meaning and purpose of life, and explore the state of their soul. This is nothing new. But what are we to make of someone who depicts themselves multiple times in a single image? Are we dealing with a serious case of self-obsession? Hardly.

Martin Liebscher (born in 1964) began photographing himself in a wide variety of situations in 1992 and using a computer to combine the individual photographs into a whole. The result is his family portraits. In each work, the same person appears multiple times, always wearing the same clothes and always in the same place: Liebscher in his kitchen at home, Liebscher in a suit in a conference room, wearing shorts and sunglasses in a supermarket parking lot, or wearing a Hawaiian shirt in Las Vegas. But instead of the mass uniformity that the clones initially seem to suggest, the viewer is confronted with the diverse hardships of an individual. Independently of one another, each person in the picture goes about their business. In a gold mine, they hammer, lift, and smoke their well-earned cigarette break without being distracted by the others. One Liebscher lies stretched out on the kitchen table, while around him an entire arsenal of Liebschers sit, jump on the furniture, stand confused in the room, or wash their hands. Every now and then, there are also situations in which people interact with each other; for example, when one Martin makes a move to pull the other Martin onto a boulder. Here, there is no musketeer motto of “one for all and all for one”; instead, everyone stands up for themselves first. And that’s hard enough! What is achieved here can only be sustained in reality with great effort. Every now and then, situations can be identified in which individuals relate to one another; for example, when one Martin makes a move to pull the other Martin onto a boulder. Here, there is no musketeer slogan of “one for all and all for one”; instead, each individual initially stands up for himself. And that is difficult enough! What is achieved here can only be sustained in reality through great effort. No one hides in the crowd or is swayed by the arguments of others. The works advocate for an individuality that does not disconnect from the community, but neither does it conform to it. Here, each person is first and foremost their own family before joining with others to form a family image.

Janneke de Vries on the works of Martin Liebscher.

Curated by Ralph Hinz.