Simon Lehner:
Echo Chambers

Even if the term "echo chamber" does not describe a phenomenon that takes place exclusively within social media platforms, we associate it primarily with the digital realm. It can be described as a dynamic within a hermetic space in which similar ideas resonate with each other. In the case of social media, it is suspected that the closeness of the social space is created by an algorithmic system that suppresses any information that could create a break within the coherent logic.

The repetitive figures that populate Simon Lehner's pictures, videos and sculptures seem to come from such an "echo chamber". The self-firing algorithm swells into a neurological nightmare in which the identical faces distort into oddly laughing masks.

Although the artist's work focuses on the examination of digital image production processes and the psychological and physiological constitution of the contemporary self, Simon Lehner's work is also based on private as well as public photo archives. Drawing from both, he digitally crafts characters, weaving them into a narrative that visually transcends into platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Here, the flattening of identity and erosion of privacy become focal points, emblematic of a commodified, template-driven self-portrayal repeated ad infinitum in the digital age.

Simon Lehner was born in 1996 and lives and works in Vienna. His work combines classical photography, digital production forms and painting. Simon Lehner has been awarded prizes such as FOAM Talent 2021 and Ö1 Talentfund 2020. His work has been presented in solo exhibitions, most recently in MY MOUNTAIN HAS NO SUMMIT (KOW Berlin 2023/24), Simon Lehner (Kunstpalais Erlangen 2023), I'm A Liar, but A Good One (Christine König, Vienna 2021), Men don't play / Men do play (Westlicht, Vienna 2020) and in group exhibitions such as yours truly (Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen 2023), Zeit (Kunsthaus Zürich 2023) and Expect The Unexpected (Kunstmuseum Bonn 2023).

www.simon-lehner.com

Curated by Ania Kolyszko

With friendly support:
Kulturamt der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf