The Edward Steichen Association is committed to perpetuating the cultural legacy of Luxembourg American photographer Edward Steichen by supporting Daniel Wagener and Esther Hovers during their residency at New York’s ISCP.
Wagener and Hovers are emerging talents of Luxembourg’s visual arts scene and have won the Steichen Association’s biennial art competition. Guided by the International Studio & Curatorial Program they explore Manhattan’s cultural diversity and develop new perspectives on photography.
“My earlier works have focused on the intersection between psychology and city life. I try to understand the city as a social playground encouraging individualism while - at the same time - conditioning or limiting our freedom through means of digital surveillance.” According to Hovers, this does not necessarily lead to a dystopian scenario. It is an ambiguous relation amoureuse that the experience of Manhattan’s frantic pace brings to light in her most recent photographs.
“Digital Surveillance is not the essence of mega-cities like New York. They confront you with an infinite amount of decision-making moments every day.” This idea, Hovers says, is best expressed in the mathematical paradox of the “Traveling Salesman” which is also the title of one of her latest works.
Daniel Wagener, on the other hand, highlights the aesthetic charm of his motifs more than their underlying conceptual aspects. His interest lies in formal harmony, extracted from everyday scenes such as a fishing pond or the carts of the local Walmart grocery store. What becomes apparent is his background in graphic design that makes him strike a fascinating balance between different artistic media.
“I have traveled across the United States and have spent a lot of time in Louisiana whose culture was inspirational to my projects.” Wagener stresses that his works are apolitical and that his views on New York’s urban canyons are meant to address an audience of both connoisseurs and laypeople.
On November 15 LACC and the Consulate General of Luxembourg hosted a celebratory event at Luxembourg House, as the president of the Edward Steichen Association, Françoise Poos, introduced Wagener and Hovers to representatives of the New York art world. The artists presented their latest achievements and Wagener had decorated the festive dining room with a selection of his photographs.
As Françoise Poos pointed out, the scope of the Edward Steichen Awards is not only to give exposure to the biennial awardees but also to promote Luxembourg’s cultural topography. In the past this was achieved through a retrospective that the Association hosted at the MUDAM for the tenth anniversary of their competition, attracting international attention.
By the end of the evening, LACC asked the two laureates about their future plans. While Hovers is preparing for her second residency - also in New York - Daniel Wagener wants to take his expertise back to Luxembourg and develop on the graphic aspects of his artworks. He then gave a humorous albeit reverential clin d’oeil to Edward Steichen and his Luxembourgish origins, pointing at the original print of a Steichen photography that the Consulate General had placed at the entrance of the dining room.