KARL HEINZ KOLLER The Image Generator

Karl Heinz Koller’s work demonstrates a rare combination of technical brilliance and relentless curiosity, achieving feats in analog photography that many thought impossible. In an age dominated by digital images, the creations of this self-proclaimed “image generator” are especially striking, revealing a mastery that seems almost magical.

From the very beginning of his career, Koller explored an unusually broad spectrum of projects. Early works such as One Month in My Life (1974), performances by Johann Jascha and Bruno Demattio (1972–75), and a documentary on European youth centers already displayed his expansive vision. By 1975, he had embraced color photography, producing his Configurations: hundreds of circular, mandala-like compositions. Using a rotating table, multiple exposures, and a careful manipulation of focus and blur, Koller constructed entirely new photographic realities within each image.

Between 1989 and 1995, he developed From the Palace of Immortality – Project Erwin, an independent body of work comprising 39 notebooks filled with texts, photographs, and clippings. Taken together, these works highlight the idiosyncratic and avant-garde character of his oeuvre. His contributions were recognized through milestones such as participation in the legendary Extended Photography exhibition at the Vienna Secession. Although his early death limited wider public awareness, this first museum exhibition now restores his rightful place in art history.