10 Questions with Mike Steinhauer
Mike Steinhauer is a photographer, conceptual artist, and arts administrator. Steinhauer's work has been shown throughout Canada, including Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, and Edmonton. In addition, he has contributed to several exhibition catalogues and has written for Ottawa Magazine and Spacing Ottawa.
Steinhauer has a Master of Arts from the School for Studies in Art and Culture at Carleton University, a Bachelor of Arts in History of Art and Visual Culture from the University of Alberta, and a Diploma in Applied Museum Studies from Algonquin College. As part of his undergraduate program, Steinhauer studied abroad at the Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence, Italy.
Originally from Luxembourg, Steinhauer moved to Canada in 1993. He lives with his partner in Ottawa, Ontario.
Untitled (Imperial Palace), Las Vegas series; Ink-Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster 260
paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
ARTIST STATEMENT
“We speak so much of memory because there is so little of it left.” Pierre Nora, Between Memory and History: Les Lieux de Mémoire
I am a photographer, conceptual artist, blogger, and arts administrator who is keenly interested in the environment within which I live. I am particularly interested in the relationship between past and present use (and perception) of object and space. My most recent work is an investigation into memory—both as it is created and re-experienced.
Referenced within my work are the writings of Pierre Nora. In Les Lieux de Mémoire, the French historian writes that memory is something that is permanently evolving. I build upon Nora’s notion that memory is something that is re-experienced in the present.
Other influences are the texts and works by Ydessa Hendeles, Marita Sturken, and Christian Boltanski.
Untitled (Circus Circus), Las Vegas series; Ink-Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster 260
paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
Las Vegas series | PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Shown here are six famous Las Vegas landmarks; each photographed from an adjacent parking lot or a multi-storey car park. The cream-colored scenes, taken in 2009, reveal what was already then an uninhabitable city. The glamour of Vegas—a city synonymous with a tourist-packed strip and some of the largest hotels in the world—is only skin deep.
The images presented are part of the ‘Las Vegas’ series—a collection of photographs I recently revisited. Depicted here are six famous hotels: the Monte Carlo, the Paris Las Vegas, Imperial Palace, Circus Circus, Trump International, and the Stratosphere. The photographs were taken in a pre-President Trump and pre-pandemic era. And yet, already then, they reveal a monotonous and deserted town ruined by greed and bombastic plans.
Untitled (Monte Carlo), Las Vegas series; Ink-Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster 260
paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
INTERVIEW
What kind of education or training helped you develop your skillset?
While my formal education is rooted in the study of the history of art (with a bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta (Edmonton) and a master's degree from Carleton University (Ottawa)), I have taken a number of fine arts courses, specifically at the Studio Arts College International (Florence, Italy) and, in Canada, at the School of the Photographic Arts (Ottawa), and MacEwan University (Edmonton).
An advanced diploma in museum studies from Algonquin College (Ottawa) supplemented my formal training. The applied courses covering collections management, preventive conservation, and exhibition design solidified my skill set of the archival and documentation processes—aspects that inform both the creation and presentation of my work today.
Please describe the intention behind your art. How do you successfully express this intention?
Within my work, be it a photograph or an installation, I explore the relationship between past and present use (or interpretation) of objects and spaces. For this particular series, I photographed many known sites in Las Vegas. The aim here was to photograph some of the city's famous landmarks from their back—views generally ignored by visitors.
These specific images were taken during a trip to Vegas in 2009. I was accompanying my partner, who was attending a conference. Having most afternoons to myself, I decided to document the hotels from less favorable angles. More specifically, I chose to document the buildings from adjacent parking lots and from atop the large parking garages attached to many of the hotels.
From these vantage points, the famous buildings are stripped of their glitzy veneer. Moreover, the alternate views show a most desolate and depressing city—an urban centre void of character and community. Later reading of these same images further confirms this interpretation.
Untitled (Paris Las Vegas), Las Vegas series; Ink-Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster 260
paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
How do you approach the notion of Time & Space using photography as your artistic expression?
This grouping of photographs sat on my hard drive for over a decade until I revisited the images in early 2020. This temporal distance, a period marked by the Trump presidency and the pandemic's onset, allowed for (or perhaps demanded) a second reading.
The images feature large, monotonous façades and massive spaces as devoid of, but indexes for, human presence. When revisiting the series, these open spaces, once an indication of visitors to the tourist mecca are converted into a new measure, namely confirmation of the absence of visitors to the city (and to most tourist attractions around the world) arising from the global pandemic.
One of the fundamental aspects of photography is that it has the capacity to accumulate new meaning over time, and thus, an image is always in dialogue with others and with the events in the world. The rereading of these photographs is continuous. Future readings will then place these images against a new narrative. They may identify these same buildings as mere footnotes to even larger and more audacious casinos or, following the collapse of the city, consider them as an ordinary rendering of a lost city.
How do you filter your memories to find inspiration?
This is a tough question as perhaps much of the filtering process is subconscious. However, I am very intentional about my selection process for the more immediate decisions, allowing me to focus on one particular story while filtering out all others.
Like much of my non-commercial work, these images are part of a larger project called An Archive of patterns, use, and self in which I highlight, directly or indirectly, various aspects of my story. These revisited memories are thus interconnected and yet may never cover the full narrative.
Untitled (Stratsophere), Las Vegas series; Ink-Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster 260
paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
Could you talk about your creation process?
My process is more of a reflective one, as I continuously rework and reclassify images. This may happen immediately after a shoot or months later. The archival and documentary process, which adds depth and meaning, is thus as important as the aesthetic product.
What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?
Admittedly, I don't get excited about the technical execution of photography. I understand the mechanics of a camera, and I am very comfortable working with RAW images. However, this is not the part that excites me. My attention is focused more on the concept behind the image rather than its execution. I hesitate even to call myself a photographer as I consider myself a visual artist who, at times, uses photography as a medium.
My attention is focused more on the concept and the presentation, be it the printing process or the installation. Nothing is worse than a good image printed badly (perhaps I am a photographer after all?) or a good work exhibited poorly.
What is the hardest part of your creativity? How do you overcome obstacles in new projects?
Constant interruptions! Perhaps the writer Joyce Carol Oates said it best when she talks about how constant interruptions are the destruction of the imagination. These aren't necessarily the interruptions by other people (as suggested by Oates). For me, I find the many devices, the endless notifications, and the 24/7 news cycle most disruptive.
I find much inspiration in reading about other works of art, diving into a novel, or visiting a local museum or art gallery. Sadly, these moments are scarce, and even then, I let myself be interrupted. I don't seem to have the discipline to shut everything off—it is pure bliss during the few moments that I do.
Untitled (Trump International), Las Vegas series; Ink Jet Print; Printed on Epson Premium Luster
260 paper; 60x60 cm; 2009-2020, Mike Steinhauer©
How has the pandemic time impacted your work?
In many ways, and this may sound surprising, the pandemic has provided a moment of rest. Despite the confusing and difficult period, this time allows me to look inwards, go through my archives, and revisit many of my reject piles. I am discovering many great images within these stacks (physical and virtual) of rejects—many of these images outshine those that had originally made the selection process.
Though, as we move through the waves of shutdowns, restrictions, and cancellations, it becomes harder to connect—I miss walking through a packed gallery room at an opening and collectively consuming art.
Any shows, galleries, or publications where our readers can find your work?
This upcoming year, my work can be seen in Rome, Italy, as part of the Post-Industrialism exhibition organized by LoosenArt at the Millepiani exhibition space and at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden, Ontario, Canada. Some of my work can also be seen in the upcoming HAS Magazine and found as part of the City of Ottawa Collection.
What's the most useful art tip you've ever received?
Always carry a notebook to jot down an idea or to do a quick sketch.
