Background Scenes

The collaboration between visual artists Matthew Cowan (NZ) and Jana Müller (GER) is concerned with the role of museums and archives in the representation of identity and history, as well as the question of identity and its staging, both virtually and in reality. Backgrounds Scenes reflects the artists' research into the history of the use of painted backgrounds in portrait photographic studios, a common practice throughout Europe and New Zealand in the 19th century.