Snow skiing in Dubai? Discovering Mount Rushmore and the US Capital building in China? These are the strange scenarios and simulations that occupy the photographs of Reiner Riedler. The Austrian documentary photographer turned his camera on the illusory worlds of theme parks in Asia, Europe, and the US with startling results. A dynamic solo show in Vienna and a new coffee-table book flaunt his images of virtual worlds and manmade paradises.
Superman flies over Red Square, but in Turkey rather than Russia; vacationers explore tropical islands in Germany; the Titanic is pulled from the ocean’s floor and turned into a resort; and diners dress up like aliens to eat at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas. Riedler’s current exhibition at Vienna’s Galerie MOMENTUM celebrates escapism and our desire to live out our wildest dreams.
Reiner Riedler: Fake Holidays is on view at Galerie MOMENTUM in Vienna through March 6, while the book Fake Holidays was published by Moser in 2009.
Reiner Riedler, COS_Player, Tokyo, Japan, 2008
Reiner Riedler, Titanic Resort Hotel, Antalya,Turkey, 2006
Reiner Riedler, Window of the World #01, Shenzhen, China, 2008
Reiner Riedler, Horizon #01, Tropical Islands, Germany, 2007
Reiner Riedler, Cage, Center Parcs, Bispingen, Germany, 2007