Ulrich Seidl
Stills 1998–2016
Private View: September 11, 6–9pm
September 12–December 10, 2025
Ulrich Seidl – Stills 1998–2016 is a solo exhibition of photographs by Ulrich Seidl from his films between 1998 and 2016. Condensing Seidl’s cinematic world into striking, static frames, the meticulously composed tableaux oscillate between intimacy and alienation, realism and mise-en-scène.
Ulrich Seidl (b. 1952, Vienna) is one of Austria’s most important filmmakers, internationally recognized for his uncompromising style that blurs fiction and documentary. Seidl has built a body of work marked by stark realism, precise tableaux and an unflinching gaze at human contradictions. As noted by Werner Herzog, “Never before in cinema have I been able to look straight into hell.” His films have premiered at major festivals in Venice, Cannes, Berlin, and his oeuvre has been honored in retrospectives worldwide. Alongside his films, Seidl has presented photographic exhibitions that extend his cinematic vision into the gallery. Drawn from film stills and staged images, these exhibitions include Ulrich Seidl. Ein Blick hinter die Fassade at C/O Berlin (2023), Im Keller – Die letzte Nacht at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna (2015), and Paradise (Love, Faith, Hope) across venues in Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, Kiev and Bratislava. An upcoming solo exhibition will be held at Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, in 2026.
The selection includes stills from some of Seidl’s most acclaimed works: Models (1998), a controversial and unflinching portrait of young women navigating Vienna’s modeling scene. Hundstage / Dog Days (2001), winner of the Venice Jury Prize, exposing suburban malaise through suffocating heat and human cruelty. Brüder, lasst uns lustig sein / Brothers, Let Us Be Merry (2006), a Christmas tale where carols meet the disquieting realities of family and faith. Import/Export (2007), charting lives caught between Austria and Eastern Europe in a stark meditation on migration and survival. Die Paradies Trilogie (Liebe, Glaube, Hoffnung) / The Paradise Trilogy (Love, Faith, Hope) (2012–13), each chapter focusing on one woman’s search—for “love” in Kenya, for God in suburban Vienna, and for belonging in a weight-loss camp. Im Keller / In the Basement (2014), an exploration of Austrian basements where fantasies, rituals, and secrets play out beyond the public eye. Safari (2016), a chilling portrait of Western tourists’ trophy-hunting in Africa, where the monstrous first becomes visible in the beautiful. On the occasion of the opening, the gallery will also present a screening of Ulrich Seidl’s short films, including Der Ball / The Prom (1982), Einsvierzig / One Forty (1980), Bilder einer Ausstellung / Pictures at an Exhibition (1996), Spaß ohne Grenzen / Fun without Limits (1998), and Brüder, lasst uns lustig sein / Brüder, lasst uns lustig sein (2006).
Galerie Philippe Bober’s partnership to the filmmaker’s work extends beyond the gallery to the production of these films.