Elias Holzknecht

The area around the BAU is one of stark contradictions: numerous diaspora communities from different conflict zones live here, more than half of the residents do not have Austrian citizenship, and few of them participate in local political life. At the same time, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) won the last elections in the district. Elias Holzknecht brings his sober documentary approach to bear on the neighborhood, engaging with its diverse denizens and examining the tensions between them. His photographs document encounters with migrant organizations—some of which belong to the earliest of their kind in Europe—as well as with “real” Austrians in their hangouts.

Elias Holzknecht (1993, Ötztal, Austria) is a photographer whose practice revolves around critical storytelling in ecological and social contexts. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at venues including Ötztaler Museen, Längenfeld (2025); Les Rencontres d’Arles (2024); Heimatmuseum Tarrenz (2024); Galerie für Fotografie, Hannover (2023); Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne (2022); and Chobi Mela X Festival, Dhaka (2019). Holzknecht lives in Graz and Längenfeld.