Lukas Beck | ONE HOUR WITH
A radical photography project in book form
The publication “Lukas Beck – ONE HOUR WITH”, due to be released on 11 September 2026, is a comprehensive documentation of the photographic series of the same name by the Viennese photographer Lukas Beck.
The publication “Lukas Beck – ONE HOUR WITH”, due to be released on 11 September 2026, is a comprehensive documentation of the photographic series of the same name by the Viennese photographer Lukas Beck. The project marks a new chapter in contemporary performative photography. More than 30 artists from the worlds of theatre, film and the visual arts were invited to the studio for a portrait shoot that lasted exactly one hour, without a single word being spoken. The book is published by EIKON, the publishing house of the Austrian Institute for Photography and Media Art.
The setting is stripped down to the bare essentials: an empty studio, one person, precisely positioned lighting, no words – and exactly one hour.
“It all began with a visit from John Malkovich to my studio in the summer of 2024,” explains Lukas Beck. “I wanted to photograph him exactly as he walked through the door – without any staging, without any words,” says Beck. “We worked for an hour in complete silence. That’s how the idea for ONE HOUR WITH came about.”
Beck subsequently organised further sessions with well-known figures from the worlds of art and culture, including Verena Altenberger, Anouk Lamm, Kurdwin Ayub, Josef Hader, Mavie Hörbiger, Rebecca Horner, Tobias Moretti, Nicholas Ofczarek, Caroline Peters and Stefanie Reinsperger.
ONE HOUR WITH is a long-term photographic project exploring presence, trust, vulnerability, expression and time. The setting is radically minimalist: an empty studio, one person, precisely positioned lighting, no words – and exactly one hour. It is precisely within this silence that a focused space of connection unfolds, defining the situation.
What the protagonists say when they are finally allowed to speak again:
(Actress): “I […] see myself in a different light to how I usually do during photo shoots; the movement has created ‘nuances’ that are so beautiful and that I really love.”
Tobias Moretti (Actor): “You’re like a child. You can do anything. Roll about on the floor despite having rheumatism.”
“The resulting photographic works coalesce into timeless portraits characterised by focus, trust and artistic expression. It is a unique opportunity to comprehensively document this special form of performative photography and publish it as a book,” says Wolfgang Giegler on behalf of EIKON Verlag. “The series is both a snapshot and the essence of a photographic approach that has evolved over decades.”
Artist Book
Lukas Beck – ONE HOUR WITH
Verlag: EIKON – Österreichisches Institut für Photographie und Medienkunst
ISBN 978-3-904083-29-4
Relase Date: 11. September 2026
Euro 40,00
Photos Verena Altenberger, Marie Luise Stockinger, John Malkovich, Tobias Moretti, Nicholas Ofczarek © Lukas Beck
Photo Lukas Beck © Anouk Lamm Anouk