Philipp Gehmacher lives and works in Berlin and Vienna. He focuses on physicality, materiality, articulation, and the realization of bodies-in-motion as shared environments, in interaction and towards potential togetherness. With these works between and beyond black box and white cube, Philipp Gehmacher has been represented locally and internationally in theatre festivals and exhibition contexts for 25 years. He is a Professor of Contemporary Dance and Choreography and has been directing the BA Dance Context Choreography at HZT Berlin since October 2022.
doors open close
almost a manifesto
After many years, the Viennese choreographer and dancer Philipp Gehmacher is once again turning increasingly towards the pleasure of dancing. Interspersed—a speech, almost a manifesto: How to speak about dance today, how to speak about the madness of this world today?¹
Contribution by Philipp Gehmacher
06 Jul, 2026
Photo by Paola Lesslhumer
Photo by Paola Lesslhumer
Photo by Paola Lesslhumer
- 1
The initial version of doors open close has been presented as part of the Re-Opening of Tanzquartier Wien (AT) in October 2025. Further versions have been presented during the SODA Research Sessions at HZT Berlin (DE) and at the symposium “Rethinking Gesture” at Zagreb Dance Centre (HR). A final solo work based on the concerns of this text was created and presented at ImPulsTanz Vienna on Jul 31 and Aug 1, 2026 at mumok (Vienna) in the exhibition Figure of the Child by Tolia Astakhishvili.