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Eiterquellen
von • by Stefan Fürtbauer
www.stefanfuertbauer.com

“Eiterquellen” literally translates as ‘sources of pus’. The name

of Stefan Fürtbauer’s photo series doesn’t sound particularly

appetising to foreigners – but the mouths of true Viennese will

water when they order an “Eitrigen mit an Schoafn und an Bugl”,

as they know what to expect: a cheese kransky (a sausage filled

with cheese) with spicy mustard and a bread roll. And anyone

who has ever taken a hungry stroll through the sleeping city knows

what a delight the sight of an open wurst diner can be. Glimpses

of light in the darkness of the street – that’s exactly how Fürtbauer
presents the Viennese sausage stands. Especially at night, the

small, free-standing stalls are transformed into iconic sales

pavilions. By skilfully playing with light and shadow, the photo

artist creates a mysterious yet enticing aesthetic and inevitably

draws the viewer’s attention to the architectural details of the stalls

at the centre of his compositions; to the glowing neon signs, to the

heterogeneous surfaces, to the colourful, compact crowd and to the

people and the conversations they may be having. As an integral

part of Vienna’s culinary cultural heritage, the wurst diner often

serves as a place for humorous and quick-witted conversations, in

which banter plays a central role and characterises the interaction

between customers and stand operators. As the title of the series

suggests, this Viennese linguistic form of interaction and humour

is an important part of the artistic representation: by focusing on

the funny names of the stands on the illuminated signs, such as

“Zum scharfen René” (The Hot Renè) or “Würstelmausi” (Sausage

Babe), Viennese humour is part of the subject matter. Stefan

Fürtbauer was born in 1976 and grew up in Upper Austria. He has

lived and worked in Vienna since 1997.