Main Hall

Designed by Josef Maria Olbrich in 1898, the main exhibition hall of the Vienna Secession is generally regarded as one of the first “white cubes” of art history. The myth of the neutral space has a long tradition of being critically examined by the institution itself. Philipp Fleischmann’s independently produced film Main Hall adds a purely cinematographic gesture to the Secession’s history by having the space look upon itself. This artist book functions as an exhibition catalog for the 35mm film work and represents a continuation of the artist’s gesture of self-determination with regard to institutions. It includes texts by Alejandro Bachmann, Georgia Holz, Michael Sicinski, and Salvatore Viviano.