Between Virtuality and Corporeality

exhibition by Anna Watzinger
curated by Patrícia J. Reis (Mz* Baltazar’s Laboratory)

Anna Watzinger’s upcoming exhibition at Mz* Baltazar’s Lab presents a selection of works from 2016 to the present, unified by the recurring theme of the mirror. In her serie of video essays she explores the mirror as far more than a simple reflective surface. For Watzinger, the mirror is a liminal space—one that is intangible, elusive, and inherently invisible, an interface between reality and virtuality. The mirrored image only exists through the gaze of an observer. As this embodied gaze moves and shifts, the mirror’s reflection—just like the reality it captures—transforms, presenting viewers with a virtual image in constant motion, as the artist calls it — a “livestream mirror scan”.
The concept of corporeality and sensoric perception is central to Watzinger’s work, as her body becomes a key element in this interplay. At times, her body is the mirror itself, the object of animation reflected on the surface, while at others, it assists the mirror, pushing her physical abilities to the very limit. In Watzinger’s works, the mirror is understood beyond metaphor—it becomes an obsessive theme that she explores to the very limits of the physical and the perceptible.
The immersive installation created specifically for Mz* Baltazar’s Lab, is inspired by the setting of the ancient myth of Narcissus —yet reimagined in his absence. Instead, a non-human agent and the visitors are left to engage with the reflective surfaces. Watzinger introduces “Narcissism 2.0,” where screens act as digital mirrors, subtly critiquing our dependence on digital technology. In particular she makes a reference to the proliferation of “selfies pictures” as a prominent form of identity construction in the digital age.
Yet, Watzinger’s use of digital tools is not an end in itself. These technologies merely capture the visible aspects of her artistic exploration, setting the stage for deeper reflections on identity, power, control, and privacy in a world dominated by digital interfaces. Drawing from that she raises the question: is it time to reconsider our relationship with technology and reclaim a more analog and sensorial way of living, one less dependent on the pervasive influence of the digital world?