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As part of the Aachen City Region Photography Festival, Johanna-Maria Fritz's work “Daughters of Magic“ is on display in a solo exhibition at the Logoi Institute for Philosophy and Discourse, curated by Dieter Jacobs (ARTCO Gallery, Aachen).

For “Daughters of Magic“, Fritz spent over a year and a half accompanying Mihaela Minca, Romania's most powerful witch. The profession of witchcraft has a long tradition in Minca's family; her mother and grandmother also practised it. Today, Minca runs a thriving business together with her daughters and daughter-in-law – they offer everything from love spells to curses and receive enquiries from all over the world via the internet. However, magic and predicting the future are not just these women's profession. They are not merely a business, not a performance. Magic and mysticism are a natural part of life in this Roma family and their closely knit community. The craft of witchcraft is also an expression of female strength within a male-dominated everyday culture.

Exhibition dates: until 21 September 2025

Venue: Logoi-Institut für Philosophie und Diskurs, Aachen

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As part of the Sibiu Contemporary Art Festival, the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Brukenthal National Museum is presenting a comprehensive retrospective entitled “Sibylle Bergemann. Photographs“, which showcases the entire oeuvre of the Berlin-based photographer. 

Sibylle Bergemann worked in series, but also documented themes over a longer period of time. Fashion and portrait photography – created for “Sibylle“ or “Geo“ – form a focal point in Sibylle Bergemann's work. Bergemann began focusing on situational and scenic images in Berlin in the late 1960s. Later, she moved on to New York, Paris, Tokyo and São Paulo. For many years, she worked with Polaroids and, until 1990, mainly in black and white. She is one of the few photographers who use colour not as an illustrative element, but as a constitutive one. 

An exhibition in cooperation with the German Cultural Centre Sibiu (Centrul Cultural German Sibiu) and the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), curated by Frieda von Wild (Estate Bergemann) and Ursula Zeller (ifa).

Exhibition dates: September 7 to October 6, 2025

Venue: Muzeul Național Brukenthal, Piața Mare 4, 5550163 Sibiu

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Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler will participate in the symposium of the 3rd Lausitz Photo Days. For one week, they will be guests in Lieberose together with other photographers from Lusatia and Berlin, where they will explore the region, the landscape, the people and social upheavals through photography and trace the changes in Lusatia. At the same time, selected works by all photographers will be on display at the “Darre“, the festival venue. 

Herbert Schirmer and Uwe Warnke, the curators of the festival, have selected three other renowned photographers to participate in the “Symposium“ of the Lusatian Photo Days alongside Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler, who in turn have each invited a younger photographer to participate in order to promote young photographic talent. This selection process resulted in the following pairs of photographers: Ute Mahler & Meret Eberl; Werner Mahler & Antine Karla Yzer; Frank Höhler & Sven Gatter; Hans-Christian Schink & Ludwig Spaude; Claus Bach & Andreas Beetz. 

Ulrike Kremeier, director of the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art in Cottbus, will give a lecture on photography in the GDR in the 1980s on 10 September 2025 at 7:30 p.m., which is open to the public.

Exhibition dates: 7 to September 14 2025

Venue: Lieberose, Lausitz

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The Bohai Gallery in Hanover is currently showing Frank Schinski's solo exhibition “Aiming High“. For the photographic essay of the same name, which was created between 2017 and 2020, Schinski accompanied various application processes in different European countries. At job fairs, interviews, castings and assessment centres, he observed the participants as they entered into a seemingly fixed choreography of imaginary expectations. The agreed locations and procedures appear standardised, normalised and as uniform as the applicants themselves, who are to be tested, assessed, evaluated according to economic criteria and assigned. Frank Schinski is particularly interested in the interactions between the world of work and the individual. 

As part of the artist talk at the end of the exhibition, Frank Schinski will talk about his long-standing photographic exploration of the theme of the world of work, on which he has produced several photographic works. 

Artist talk: September 14 2025, 4:00 P.M.

Exhibition dates: until September 14 2025

Venue: Galerie Bohai, Hanover

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Annette Hauschild's photographs are part of the screening “Between Concrete and Boudoir,“ initiated by Sch.quadrat and curated by Karla Schieferstein and Laura Schnitzer. On display are works by female photographers from several generations who illuminate scenes from Berlin's scene and club culture from a female perspective. 

In addition to Annette Hauschild, Ann Christin Jansson, Lucia Jost, Marina Monaco, Frieda von Wild and Emily Dodd Noble are also participating. 

The screening is part of the Rencontres d'Arles' “Best of Nuit de l'Année“ programme and takes place as part of “Night of Photography 2025“, organised by the Museum of Warsaw.

Exhibition dates: September 12, 2025

Venue: Sto Pociech Foundation, 20/24 A Dreta St, Warsaw

“Best of Nuit de l'Année“ can also be seen until 5 October 2025 at the Rencontres d'Arles in the Ancien Collège Mistral.

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On the occasion of the exhibition “Die TEXAS BOX“ at the Berlin Wall Memorial of the German Bundestag, Harald Hauswald and Lutz Rathenow look back on life in a different era in a panel discussion moderated by Kristina Volke, head of the German Bundestag's art collection. In 1987, on the occasion of Berlin's 750th anniversary, Hauswald and Rathenow jointly published the book “Ost-Berlin. Die andere Seite der Stadt“ (East Berlin: The Other Side of the City) with photographs and texts, published by Piper-Verlag Munich. It was intended as a counterpoint to the embellished official portrayals of the GDR and to show the life of East Berliners without propaganda. The book is still being published today in new editions and numerous print runs. In the same year, Harald Hauswald's photographs were sent illegally out of the GDR as original prints to Texas, where they were exhibited at the University of Austin. The images, an expression of artistic self-confidence independent of the state in the GDR, remained archived there for decades. It was not until 2024, after intensive research by OSTKREUZ, that the vintage prints returned to a reunified Berlin that had changed in many ways.

Panel discussion: September 16, 2025, 6:00 P.M. Admission is free, no registration required.

Exhibition dates: until December 31, 2025

Venue: Berlin Wall Memorial in the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus (access via the Spree river promenade), Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin

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Ute Mahler and Anne Schönharting are guests at the Goethe-Institut Budapest. As part of the current exhibition “Schein.Freiheit“ (Apparent Freedom), they will take part in a panel discussion on fashion as a mirror of longing, system and self, and present their work. The question of what fashion really shows will dominate the discussion of the high-calibre panel. Between individuality and conformity, between self-realisation and social adaptation, fashion stages the idea of freedom. But is this freedom real – or just a beautiful illusion? The international experts will discuss how fashion shapes desires, worldviews and resistance – yesterday, today and tomorrow.

As a photographer, Ute Mahler shaped the style of the GDR fashion magazine Sibylle. Her work combines political depth with artistic clarity. Anne Schönharting's photographic work addresses role models, origins and the relationship between clothing and identity. Prof. Dr. Anna Keszeg, fashion and media scholar at MOME Budapest, and Almási J. Csaba, fashion photographer, will also be on the podium. Registration is required to participate.

Exhibition date: September 18, 2025, 6:30 P.M.

Venue: Goethe-Institut, Budapest

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As part of the 35th anniversary of German reunification, the Aninat Gallery in Santiago de Chile is presenting works by Harald Hauswald in the solo exhibition ”GRENZKUNST – Circuito contracorriente: La Resistencia cultural durante la RDA” (Countercurrent Circuit: Cultural Resistance in the GDR), curated by Rafael Insunza. Parallel to the exhibition, the Goethe-Institut Chile is organising a programme of events and films in Santiago de Chile (25-26 September), Viña del Mar (1 October), Valparaíso (29-30 September) and Concepción (6 October). Harald Hauswald will be present at each location and will introduce his work to the audience in panel discussions. These events are also entitled ”Grenzkunst” (Border Art) and focus on cultural resistance in the GDR between 1985 and 1990. In exchange with Chilean artists, photographers, historians and archivists, parallels to cultural resistance in Chile will be analysed. The films ”Der Radfahrer” (Marc Thümmler, 2009) and ”Foto: Ostkreuz” (Maik Reichert, 2014) will form the backdrop for these discussions. For the detailed programme of events and films, please visit the Goethe-Institut Chile website.

Opening: September 24, 2025, 7:00 P.M.

Artist talks with Harald Hauswald at Galerie Aninat: 27 September and 18 October 2025, 11:00 A.M. each day

Exhibition dates: September 25 to November 8, 2025

Venue: Galerie Aninat, Santiago / Goethe-Institut Chile, Santiago

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What does it mean to feel today? The exhibition ”Neoromanticism: The Artistic Value of an Old-New Longing,” curated by Simon Strauß at the Stadtmuseum im Fembo-Haus in Nuremberg, brings contemporary artists into dialogue with an old concept of longing – not nostalgically, but with a presence of mind. At the heart of the presentation unfolds a polyphonic dialogue about closeness, nature, vulnerability and the unshakeable power of emotion. In addition to works by Nigin Beck, Lars Eidinger, Erika Hegewisch, Ralph Mecke, Benyamin Reich, Slawomir Elsner and Simon Strauß, Anne Schönharting and Linn Schröder are also represented in the exhibition. It shows works from Anne Schönharting's long-term project ”Habitat”, for which she staged and portrayed people in their homes over a period of ten years. 

In addition, the current joint project ”Holy Woods” (work in progress) by Anne Schönharting and Linn Schröder will be on display. The idea for this project arose from a deep need to expand consciousness and a longing for a ”different way of seeing.” In the midst of a time marked by violent conflicts, socio-political tensions and the increasing destruction of our natural habitats, the two photographers consciously spend time in the forest, resonating with themselves, each other and the surrounding nature.

Opening: September 25, 2025, 7:00 P.M.

Exhibition dates: September 26 to November 23, 2025

Location: City Museum in the Fembo-Haus, Nuremberg

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Katharina Grosse and the Wunderblock Foundation she founded are presenting the exhibition ”Ein Dorf 1950–2022. Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler und Ludwig Schirmer” (A Village 1950–2022. Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler and Ludwig Schirmer) as the first exhibition in the former LPG in Groß Kreutz. With the exhibition of this special group of works, the Wunderblock Foundation aims to provide a space for engagement with established social structures in rural areas. 

The Wunderblock Foundation has set itself the goal of repurposing the old LPG buildings in Groß Kreutz and transforming the site into an area for artists' studios, exhibitions and cultural activities. The foundation is currently in its founding phase, during which it aims to deepen understanding of the historical context of the site. ”A Village 1950–2022” is a long-term project by Ludwig Schirmer, his daughter Ute Mahler and her husband Werner Mahler. It focuses on the Thuringian village of Berka, yet reaches far beyond its borders. The photographs raise questions about home, continuity and change. In spring 2024, they were exhibited to great acclaim at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. 

From 26 to 28 September, the pictures will be on display on the grounds of the Wunderblock Foundation. To conclude the exhibition, journalist and curator Kito Nedo will hold a conversation with Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler on Sunday about their lives and work. 

Artist talk: September 28, 2025, 11:30 A.M.

Venue: Wunderblock Stiftung, Trechwitzer Str. 13, Groß Kreutz, OT Schenkenberg

Exhibition dates: September 26 to September 28, 2025, 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. each day

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The exhibition ”Sonnensucher! Kunst und Bergbau der Wismut” (Sun Seekers! Art and Mining at Wismut), curated by Dr Paul Kaiser of the Dresden Institute for Cultural Studies, is currently on display at the industrial monument of the historic cotton mill 1896 in Zwickau. 

During the Cold War, SDAG Wismut supplied the Soviet Union with weapons-grade uranium from western Saxony and eastern Thuringia. At the same time, it was a legendary ”state within a state” and collected fine art on a grand scale. At an authentic location in Wismut's history, this exhibition provides an overview of the most extensive art collection of a GDR company, comprising more than 4,000 works by 450 artists. 

Working people and mining life are at the centre of the fine art purchased or commissioned by SDAG Wismut (today: Wismut GmbH) in the GDR. In 1975, Werner Mahler took photographs in the Martin Hoop mine in the Zwickau district, one of the last mines where hard coal was still being mined in the GDR. With this series, he portrayed work that seems to come from another era. Just three years later, the last shaft was closed. His impressive black-and-white series ”Bergbau” (Mining) is currently on display in the exhibition ”Sonnensucher!” (Sun Seekers!) and published in the accompanying exhibition catalogue.

Exhibition dates: until October 26, 2025

Venue: Historische Baumwollspinnerei 1896, metaWerk AG, Zwickau

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The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris is showing the solo exhibition ”Sibylle Bergemann. Le Monument”, curated by Sonia Voss and developed in close collaboration with the Sibylle Bergemann estate. 

From 1975 to 1986, Sibylle Bergemann created the famous work ”Das Denkmal” (The Monument), a series of photographs documenting the construction of a monument to Marx and Engels in the Mitte district of East Berlin. The series follows the construction of the monument, which was commissioned by the GDR authorities to honour the founding fathers and theorists of the communist movement. Bergemann captured every stage of the creative process, from the initial models to the monument's inauguration on 4 April 1986. From over 400 rolls of film, she selected twelve photographs, which she compiled under the title ”Das Denkmal” (The Monument). Today, these are considered one of Bergemann's most iconic series. In the post-communist light, Bergemann's deconstruction of heroic figures and the underlying irony seem astonishingly prescient. But no one could have foreseen the fall of the Berlin Wall just three years later. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue of the same name with texts by Christian Joschke, Heiner Müller, Steffen Siegel, Sonia Voss, Frieda von Wild and Lily von Wild, published by  Kerber-Verlag.

Opening: October 28, 2025, 6:00 P.M.

Exhibition dates: October 29 to January 11, 2026

Venue: Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris

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Beginning in September, Das MINSK in Potsdam presents the group exhibition “Housing Complex. Art and Life in the Plattenbau”, curated by Kito Nedo. The exhibition explores how East German prefabricated housing — known as Plattenbau — has been reflected and negotiated in art.

Sibylle Bergemann is featured in the exhibition with her well-known photographic series “P2”, created between 1974 and 1981 during the filming of a documentary in a Plattenbau housing estate in Berlin-Lichtenberg.

“P2” portrays the variously furnished living rooms of apartments within a single block of industrially produced housing. The abbreviation “P2” refers to a type of housing developed in the early 1960s that redefined domestic layouts with its open floor plans. By integrating the kitchen into the living area, the new design also subtly challenged traditional gender roles: women were no longer isolated in the kitchen, and men were encouraged to participate in household chores.

Exhibition dates: September 6, 2025 – February 8, 2026

Venue: Das MINSK, Potsdam

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This year’s Photography Festival of the Aachen City Region presents the dual exhibition “Alliances. Photographs by Arno Fischer and Jordis Antonia Schlösser”, featuring black-and-white works by both photographers at Burg Frankenberg, curated by Nina Mika-Helfmeier.

Berlin in the 1950s — a city in transition — captured by Arno Fischer. Havana in the 1990s — also a city in a state of flux — photographed by Jordis Antonia Schlösser. Both perspectives on urban life and its people reflect a deep interest in interpersonal relationships and human situations, marked by a shared sensitivity and observational empathy.

Jordis Antonia Schlösser studied under Arno Fischer at the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund in the 1990s. During that time, she created the body of work featured in this exhibition: “No es fácil – Havana Between Times.” This widely acclaimed photo essay portrays a country caught in limbo, shaped by hope and anxiety about the future. Arno Fischer, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 84, is regarded as one of the most important German photographers of the 20th century. Alongside his well-known images of divided Berlin, the exhibition also features a selection of his travel photographs.

Exhibition dates: August 24 – September 21, 2025

Artist Talk & Exhibition Tour with the Photographer: September 20, 2025, 6:00 PM

Workshops with the Photographer: September 19 and 20, 2025

Venue: Burg Frankenberg, Aachen

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The 30th edition of the ongoing Noorderlicht Photo Biennale explores the complex relationship between technology, ecology, and cultural heritage. Rapid technological progress has had profound effects on biodiversity, social structures, and our shared history. The biennale aims to raise awareness and spark dialogue: How does technology shape our lives, our landscapes, and our collective memory?

In keeping with these questions, the festival presents the project “Internet Explorers” by photographer Heinrich Holtgreve in collaboration with radio journalist Moritz Metz. Since early 2022, Holtgreve and Metz have traveled around Germany together — equipped with camera and microphones — visiting every physical site where the country is connected to its neighbors via fiber-optic cables. The first result of this journey was a podcast in which they share both their on-site experiences and technical insights.

Exhibition dates: until September 7, 2025

Venue: Niemeyerfabriek, Paterswoldseweg 43, 9726 BB Groningen

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In Jamlitz, a place steeped in history, Harald Hauswald presents a selection of his striking photographs from the GDR in the exhibition "On Disappearance."
The exhibition is part of a temporary public art project, in which all contributions engage with the town and its people. Hauswald’s photographs bring everyday life in the GDR back into the present — authentic and accessible, right in the heart of the Brandenburg countryside.

Under the title "Identity and Memory," the accompanying program invites visitors to open table talks. In a relaxed setting, the participating artists introduce themselves, speak about their ideas, their connection to Jamlitz, and their artistic approach.

Opening: August 9, 2025, at 2 PM


Duration: Until September 7, 2025


Table Talk #16 with Harald Hauswald and Herbert Schirmer (Curator of Spektrale and other exhibitions): Monday, September 1, 2025, at 6 PM

Venue: Kunsthalle Alte BHG, Kastanienallee 2, 15868 Jamlitz

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The Museum Haus des Papiers is currently presenting the photo festival “Communication with Conviction” at various locations across the city. The central question: What happens to democratic spaces when conviction becomes mere posturing and no one listens anymore? The festival focuses on themes of democratic values and respectful communication. Where language reaches its limits, images can open new spaces — here, photography becomes a medium for engagement and dialogue.

Johanna Maria Fritz is one of 29 international artists and photographers whose works are shown as large-format photo posters in public urban spaces. Her photographs from Ukraine are on view at the Teufelsberg Listening Station in Berlin until early September.

Exhibition dates: until September 7, 2025

Venue: Teufelsberg Listening Station, Berlin

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FOTOGALERIE Friedrichshain has been based in a prefabricated building next to the Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station since 1985, making it Berlin’s oldest photography gallery. It is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a major group exhibition that bridges its history with contemporary perspectives.

Harald Hauswald is also featured in the show with his work "Porzellanladen" – part of a selection of photographs from East Berlin in the early 1980s.

Opening: August 14, 2025, 7 PM

Exhibition Dates: August 15 – October 2

Location: FOTOGALERIE Friedrichshain

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The Neubrandenburg Art Collection is currently presenting the exhibition “Der große Schwof. Celebrating in the East,” curated by Petra Göllnitz and produced by the Jena Art Collection, as its third stop — on view until early September. The exhibition features works by Sibylle Bergemann, Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler, and Harald Hauswald.

Partying, dancing, drinking — “Schwofen” has always served as a welcome outlet for pent-up energy. People come together spontaneously or in organized ways, in private settings or at unofficial, often purpose-built venues. Every country and society develops its own distinct customs around celebration — especially under restrictive conditions such as those in the former GDR. Beyond the clichés of a drab East, this exhibition reveals a surprising and vibrant slice of everyday culture — lively, colorful, and wonderfully diverse. As part of the exhibition, Petra Göllnitz will host two artist talks: one with Ute Mahler & Werner Mahler, and another with Harald Hauswald.

Artist Talk: “Ute, Werner and I” With Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler, August 16, 2025, 3:00 PM, Admission: €10.00 / reduced €5.00 Registration requested

Artist Talk: “Life in Full” With Harald Hauswald, August 30, 2025, 3:00 PM, Admission: €10.00 / reduced €5.00 Registration requested

Exhibition duration: until September 7, 2025

Venue: Neubrandenburg Art Collection

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In conjunction with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 in Switzerland, the exhibition “SHE CAN KICK IT!” at f³ – Freiraum für Fotografie in Kreuzberg visually highlights women’s football and examines its complex history. Once ridiculed and even banned, women’s football is now celebrated almost everywhere in the world. Female football players are fighting for equality and against the sexualization of women’s bodies. They are major role models for girls and ideal ambassadors for advertising. Yet, significant disparities still exist compared to men’s sports, such as in playing opportunities and remuneration.

Johanna-Maria Fritz, along with Susan Meiselas, Anja Niedringhaus, and many other renowned photographers, is featured in the exhibition “SHE CAN KICK IT!”, curated by Nadine Barth.

Opening: June 26, 2025, at 7:00 PM

Duration: June 27 – September 7, 2025

Location: f³ – Freiraum für Fotografie 

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