Author of the provocative 2009 photo campaign for the Austrian fashion label Wendy & Jim & DJ HELL, photographer Lukas Gansterer takes on the challenge of combining realness, acrimony and attempts to break imaginative boundaries. Based in Vienna, Austria, the photographer often plays with pornographic imagery throughout his work. As mentioned in the title, the exhibition deals with the fetish of playing with milk. Additionally to the large format prints, the exposition room becomes an integral part of the show itself.

Dazed Digital: How do you explore 'milk' in your new exhibition?
Lukas Gansterer: My main finding was that milk smells really sour after half an hour (laughs). Actually, the exhibition shows a girl playing with milk and the gallery space will be covered in polythene sheets, which are also used in porn movies. When I started to work on this topic, I recognised that images become really progressive and bold if they show milk, especially on a female body.

DD: How did the idea of using milk first inspire you?
Lukas Gansterer: I saw a girl drinking milk. That was enough inspiration.

DD: What role does porn play in your work? What is it about that appeals to you as 'art'?
Lukas Gansterer: Provocation has always been a theme of my work. Over the last two years "porn aesthetics" have started to play a more important role. I have never really been concerned with photography in relation to art. To refer to a photo as a piece of art doesn’t necessarily make it better. I want to take strong pictures. The viewer should start to think about the moment and situation I have captured, not about the issue of whether it is art or not.

DD: What's next after this show for you?
Lukas Gansterer: Normally I never plan for the long term, but one of the next big things will be an exhibition with Wendy&Jim at the Arnhem Mode Biennale this summer where we will show shots of their upcoming collection. Let’s see what else is coming up.

19th January - 28th February 2011; Unlike Gallery, Chausseestrasse 116, 10115 Berlin