Vorort by Marge Westreich at PhMuseum Lab

Vorort explores the unstable boundary between documentation and fiction in the rural outskirts surrounding Linz, Austria.

Overview

Combining candid flash photographs, screenplay fragments, and carefully staged scenes performed by actors, the work constructs a fictional world shaped by distance, loneliness, and the experience of never fully belonging. Marge Westreich examines her own relationship to community while living as an American expatriate in a small Austrian town.

In German, Vorort refers to a suburb or residential area on the edge of a city. Separated into its root words, vor Ort, the meaning shifts to “on site,” suggesting a form of reportage. This dual meaning reflects the project itself, which moves between observation and invention, documentation and performance.

Throughout the series, subtle clues reveal its constructed nature. Landscapes printed onto fabric are rephotographed as theatrical backdrops, their wrinkles exposing the illusion. Portraits of actors photographed against white backgrounds, resembling casting headshots, appear alongside images of actual residents, making it increasingly unclear who belongs to the community and who is performing it. These disruptions invite viewers to question the reliability of photographic representation.

The project exists between American and Austrian visual traditions. Its atmosphere draws from the quiet isolation of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth while referencing provincial life found in the work of Austrian photographer Manfred Willmann. Influenced by artists such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Jeff Wall, and produced primarily with a large-format camera, the photographs appear simultaneously staged and candid, destabilizing distinctions between reality, memory, and performance.

About The Artist

Marge Westreich is a New Jersey-born photographer and art director based in Austria, where she has lived for almost 20 years. Originally trained in music, she later shifted her focus to visual arts after moving abroad and has since worked as an art director at leading advertising agencies in Linz. She graduated with an MFA in Photography from the University of Hartford in 2025.

With over 12 years of experience in advertising, she brings a sharp design sensibility and a photographer’s eye to every project. Known for creating highly personalized work, she has helped win numerous pitches, campaigns, and design awards. Her photographic work has been exhibited internationally in Austria, Germany, and the United States. She is currently developing her first photo book, which was presented at exhibitions including Photobook Mania in Bologna and Baxter St. Gallery, New York City in 2026.