Linz gives Diocesan Art Prize for camerawork from a queer-feminist perspective

This is nothing to do with Catholicism.  No mention of God, Father, Son or Holy Spirit.

An earlier production....

The official statement below

Diocesan Art Prize 2025

Daniela Gutmann, a graduate of the University of Art and Design Linz, is delighted to receive this year's award for fine arts. The high socio-ethical relevance of her film series "On the Gesture of the Gaze" particularly meets the requirements of the competition and convinced the jury to select this work for this year's Diocesan Art Prize. The prize was awarded on June 27, 2025, as part of the graduation and doctoral ceremony at the University of Art and Design Linz.

The award was presented by Dr. Johann Hintermaier, Episcopal Vicar for Education, Art, and Culture of the Diocese of Linz, for whom art is a particular concern: "Art is a key that can open access to the complexity of the world. Engaging with art encourages us to look ever deeper and to allow ourselves to look deeper into ourselves."

from left to right Rector Brigitte Hütter, Maria Reitter-Kollmann (Chairwoman of the German Art Association), award winner Daniela Gutmann, Episcopal Vicar Johann Hintermaier (from left to right): Rector Brigitte Hütter, Maria Reitter-Kollmann (Chairwoman of the German Art Association), award winner Daniela Gutmann, Episcopal Vicar Johann Hintermaier; Photo: Mark Sengstbratl

Since its inception in 1996, the award has honored theses at the renowned University of Art and Design Linz that impress not only with their outstanding artistic quality, but also with their ethical, social, or religious relevance. The socio-ethical component of Daniela Gutmann's Master's thesis lies in the fact that she questions traditional gazes and roles and makes alternative, inclusive perspectives such as the female or queer gaze accessible, with exceptional artistic excellence and innovative approaches.

Daniela Gutmann

ON THE GESTURE OF THE GAZE.

An investigation into the gaze as a physical-performative practice within the film series "On the Gesture of the Gaze."

"How can classical roles and gaze relationships be dissolved?" and "Whose gaze is it when one watches or makes a film?" "How does (body) movement and/or camera become a gaze, a film, and furthermore, a language?"

The medium of film is omnipresent today and significantly shapes our perception and understanding of reality. It influences how we see and interpret people, societies, and events. Therefore, a critical engagement with the medium is essential to question how our gaze is directed, which perspectives are privileged or marginalized, and which power structures are reflected in it.

The Master's thesis questions traditional gaze and role relationships and makes alternative, inclusive perspectives such as the female or queer gaze accessible. The work asks: Who is watching? Who is seen? And how can the gaze itself become the subject of performative research? Daniela Gutmann advocates for a conscious reflection on who becomes visible and who does not when watching and making films, as well as for the deconstruction of normative viewing habits. Her work is based on an experimental, body-oriented method that uses the medium of film as a tool of resistance to deconstruct dominant regimes of the gaze and explore new forms of expression. The body serves as a starting point for gesture, movement, and presence, while film is understood as an open, collaborative field in which role models, power structures, and representation are renegotiated. By analyzing the materiality of vision, the relationship between technology and the body, and the transformation of camerawork from a queer-feminist perspective, Daniela Gutmann promotes an inclusive, respectful, and critical examination of representation and perception in a cinematic context. In doing so, she contributes to raising awareness of diversity and equality in visual culture.

As part of the presentation at bb15 – Space for Contemporary Art from June 17 to 21, 2025, Daniela Gutmann presented a sophisticated and sophisticated exhibition that explores the medium of film in a variety of presentational forms and reflects its versatility and significance in contemporary art.

Daniela Gutmann, MA, born in 1991, lives and works in Linz. 2020-2025 Master's degree in "Plastic Conceptions/Ceramics" at the University of Art and Design Linz; 2024-2025 Friedl Kubelka School for Independent Film, Vienna; 2022-2023 Institute of Dance Arts, Bruckner University Linz; 2020 Intermedia and Sculpture, Academy of Fine Arts Gdansk, Poland; 2018 SNDO (School for New Dance Development) Intensive Course, Amsterdamse Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten, NL; 2017-2020 Bachelor's degree in Sculptural Concepts/Ceramics, University of Art Linz; Numerous exhibitions in Austria and Taiwan.