Ilse Haider

_{1965 Salzburg}

Born in Salzburg in 1965, Ilse Haider developed an early sensitivity to visual imagery. From 1983 to 1988, she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna under Arnulf Rainer, before continuing her education at the Royal College of Art in London, where she studied with Eduardo Paolozzi until 1990.
Between 1995 and 2001, Haider taught at the University of Art and Industrial Design Linz. In recognition of her outstanding artistic achievements, she was awarded the prestigious Otto Breicha Prize for Photography by the Museum der Moderne Salzburg in 2011. In the same year, the museum presented a comprehensive solo exhibition of her work.
In 2012, Haider attracted international attention with her walk-in sculpture "Mr. Big", depicting a monumental nude male figure reclining in Vienna's MuseumsQuartier in front of the Leopold Museum.
Throughout her career, Haider has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions in Vienna, Linz, London, Stockholm, Santa Monica, Bregenz, and many other cities. In 2024, she created a political photographic portrait series dedicated to Kamala Harris, addressing themes of media politics and feminism in a timely and thought-provoking commentary on contemporary society.
Today, Ilse Haider lives and works in Vienna, where she continues to create photographic sculptures and spatial installations distinguished by their unique spatial qualities and engagement with social issues. Her works are represented in numerous prominent public and private art collections.