Michael Strasser | Artist
Michael Strasser, born in Innsbruck, is a visual artist and cultural policy activist. He lives and works in Vienna. Following his education at the Graphische in Vienna, the School for Artistic Photography with Friedl Kubelka (2000–2001), and the University of Applied Arts Vienna (2001–2006), he developed a multifaceted, interdisciplinary practice. His work operates at the intersection of conceptual art, photography, painting, sculpture, site-specific art, and curatorial projects. His artistic work is grounded in a (de)constructivist methodology and a critical, experimental engagement with aesthetic paradigms. The exploration of space—conceived as both a physical entity and a socio-political construct—constitutes a key axis of his artistic inquiry.
Strasser has received numerous awards and grants, including the Special Recognition Award (2022), the RLB Art Prize (2014), the Federal Grant for Artistic Photography (2008), the Kunsthalle Wien Prize (2006), a federal studio in Vienna’s Westbahnstraße (2021–2028), as well as international residencies in New York, Chicago, Seoul, and London. In addition, Strasser is a significant voice in the cultural policy discourse. Since 2016, he has been actively advocating for fair payment and fair working conditions in the independent art scene through the campaign pay the artist now!, in close collaboration with colleagues from IG Bildende Kunst and the Künstler*innen Vereinigung Tirol.