Bodies of Work is a photo series in which the artist deals with the complex relation of “work” and its transformation within a globalised world. While taking a closer look at the meaning of the “working body” during times of digitalisation, the artist reflects on ecological questions, the displacement and the possible future of work. Gruzei negotiates this versatile topic exemplified by the last Danube Shipyard in Austria. She accompanied the process of constructing a sea ferry over the time of 1,5 years. In the interplay of man and machine, new ships for inland navigation are being built there. The artist took photographs also at times when the shipyard was not in operation. As darkness settled on the premises and the noise of the machines died down, motifs began to appear in a different light altogether. In her pictures, Gruzei transforms the world of work she encounters into scenarios that seem weightless and reminiscent of science fiction. The precisely composed photographs engage with the anachronisms of the 180-year-old company and, at the same time, display a proximity to the aesthetics of space travel.
In the production process, the worker’s bodies and the work piece are closely connected and prosthetically supplemented by technology. The real world captured in Gruzei’s photographs is supplemented by weird or unfamiliar scenarios, which add new time and space references to it. The photographic findings of the series thus go far beyond a documentary approach.