Peter Tscherkassky
Peter Tscherkassky, Enzersfeld, 12 November 2025
“Celebrate the exploding moment”
In February 2026, the results of an international survey that asked 270 film specialists for their 250 best short films of all time caused quite a stir—including in Austria: in 9th place on the overall list was “Outer Space” (1999) by Peter Tscherkassky, who was “beaten” only by Luis Buñuel, Alain Resnais, Forugh Farrochzāds, John Smith, Kenneth Anger, Michael Snow, Maya Deren, and Chris Marker. It’s just one of the many instances of recognition—though they remain all but invisible amid the art world’s fixation on high market value—for a maverick whose masterpieces like “Dream Work” (2001) and, more recently, “Train Again” (2021) are celebrated even at major festivals like Cannes. By contrast, Tscherkassky’s retreat to what is more or less his place of work—the darkroom—for this Kontakt Video Portrait made for a most pleasantly unspectacular setting. The filmmaker, currently at work on a “homage to the classical futurists,” employs found footage from Hollywood, trash films, and advertising to concoct highly energetic redefinitions of time, space, and (film) history.
“Celebrate the exploding moment”
In February 2026, the results of an international survey that asked 270 film specialists for their 250 best short films of all time caused quite a stir—including in Austria: in 9th place on the overall list was “Outer Space” (1999) by Peter Tscherkassky, who was “beaten” only by Luis Buñuel, Alain Resnais, Forugh Farrochzāds, John Smith, Kenneth Anger, Michael Snow, Maya Deren, and Chris Marker. It’s just one of the many instances of recognition—though they remain all but invisible amid the art world’s fixation on high market value—for a maverick whose masterpieces like “Dream Work” (2001) and, more recently, “Train Again” (2021) are celebrated even at major festivals like Cannes. By contrast, Tscherkassky’s retreat to what is more or less his place of work—the darkroom—for this Kontakt Video Portrait made for a most pleasantly unspectacular setting. The filmmaker, currently at work on a “homage to the classical futurists,” employs found footage from Hollywood, trash films, and advertising to concoct highly energetic redefinitions of time, space, and (film) history.