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On the occasion of this year's Olympic Games in Paris, the Institut français Berlin is presenting two exhibitions with “Double Jeux”, including a solo exhibition by Sebastian Wells with photographs from the last four Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (2016), Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2021) and Beijing (2022). These are presented in the institute's own display windows, “Les Vitrines”, which are used as a separate exhibition space on the corner of Ku'damm and Uhlandstraße. The exhibition will be complemented by a photographic installation with current images of the Olympic Games by Sebastian Wells from Paris, which will be regularly expanded during the duration of the exhibition.

Parallel to this exhibition, photographs by five young French photographers from Analog Sport will be on display in the Alice Guy Gallery at the Institute. “Analog Sport” is the first association for education and integration through film, photography and sport in France, which enables young, disadvantaged people to obtain accreditation for sporting events and document them with (film) cameras.

Opening: 26.6.24, 7pm in the presence of the photographers

Portfolio review: 27.6.24, 2–6pm with the photographers

Guided tour: 28.6.24, 4pm with the photographers

Duration: 27.6. to 31.8.24

Further information here.

With the World Press Award exhibition, the Friends of the Willy Brandt House Berlin are presenting the work of this year's award-winning photojournalists and documentary photographers, including Johanna-Maria Fritz. In spring, she was awarded the World Press Photo Award in the “Stories” category for her series “Kakhovka Dam: Flood in a War Zone” as the winner for Europe. The award-winning works document some of the most pressing problems facing the world today - from devastating conflicts and political upheaval to the climate crisis and migration.

Johanna-Maria Fritz was commissioned by ZEIT to photograph the effects of the explosions of the Russian-controlled Kakhovka Dam in south-eastern Ukraine on June 6, 2023, and their impact on the city of Kherson and its inhabitants. The dam burst flooded around 17,50 houses on both the Ukrainian-controlled west bank and the Russian-controlled east bank of the river, killing hundreds of people, according to international media reports.

Opening: 13.6.24, 7pm

Duration: 14.6. to 7.7.24

Further information here.

The “Focale” gallery in Nyons is showing Sebastian Wells' work “La Rada di Augusta”, which was created between 2019 and 2020 in the Bay of Augusta in Sicily. There, the increasingly weathered remains of turbo-capitalism merge with those of a civilization more than two thousand years old. Along the thirty-kilometre stretch of coastline in south-eastern Sicily are oil refineries that have shaped this landscape and the lives of its inhabitants for more than seventy years. Water, air and soil are polluted. The cancer and miscarriage rates are alarming. Instead of the twenty thousand jobs that existed at the height of the oil industry in the 1980s, there are now only around seven thousand employees. Corruption is omnipresent, as is mistrust of authority figures.

By examining the effects of the North-South divide and the price of rapid progress on everyday human reality, Sebastian Wells' work “La Rada di Augusta” makes it clear that the relationship between the environment and industry is no longer just a question of politicians, engineers and pipelines.

Opening: 13.6.24, 6pm in the presence of the photographer

Duration: 14.6. to 25.8.24

Further information here.

The "Forum für zeitgenössische Fotografie Dresden e.V." is showing the exhibition “ZUHAUSE vol. 5”, in which works by Heinrich Völkel and Nanna Heitmann (Magnum Photos) are juxtaposed. Both positions were selected from the Vonovia Award for Photography. Heinrich Völkel's “Nachtstücke” (Night Pieces) depict the living environments in the Berlin industrial and working-class district of Wedding, while Nanna Heitmann deals with the closure of the last coal mine in Germany.

Heinrich Völkel shot the “Nachtstücke” series with an analogue large-format camera, which is technically accurate and precise enough to recognize even hidden details. Especially at night, the squares in Wedding radiate moments of tranquility. The long exposures in strict black and white reveal the architectural reality of the neighborhood: an architecture of living and working, Art Nouveau next to post-war modernism, ensemble next to solitary buildings, a lot of history and a little bit of the future.

Opening: 5.6.24, 7pm

Duration: 6.6. to 6.7.24

Further information here.

Tamara Eckhardt's award-winning work "The Children of Carrowbrowne" is part of the exhibition "Happy Days", which will be shown as part of Situation Kunst at the Museum unter Tage in Bochum. Based on Samuel Beckett's 1960 play of the same name, the exhibition explores forms of happiness under difficult circumstances. On display are works that reflect experiences of happiness or reflect on happiness, some of which were created in the context of experiences of war or repression. The spectrum of the 12 positions ranges from 1970 to the present day.

In her long-term project "The Children of Carrowbrowne", Tamara Eckhardt accompanied children from the Traveller Community, Ireland's largest minority. Other renowned artists represented in the exhibition include Nan Goldin, Yoko Ono, Rui Chafes, Ken Lum and Felix Gonzales-Torres. The curator of the exhibition is Prof. Dr. Markus Heinzelmann, Ruhr University Bochum.

Opening: 15.5.24, 7pm

Duration: 16.5. to 20.10.24

Further information here.

Tamara Eckhardt's series "Youth of the Island Field" (2019-2021) will be on display at Photoforum Pasquart as part of the Biel/Bienne Photo Days in Switzerland. Over a period of three years, Tamara Eckhardt made several trips to St. Mary's Park on King's Island in the Irish city of Limerick. There is great social insecurity in this highly disadvantaged district - unemployment and drug addiction are widespread. On site, she photographed the residents of the social housing, which was built in the 1930s for families who had previously lived in overcrowded, poor-quality apartments, day after day.

Tamara Eckhardt's series continues the focus on childhood and growing up. It deals with children who grow up in difficult circumstances and have to contend with prejudice and a certain lack of prospects. The series is a visual experience report that focuses on the adaptability and pastimes of the young residents of the neighborhood.

Opening: 3.5.24, 6pm

Duration: 3.5. to 26.5.24

Further information here.

Espen Eichhöfer is represented with two photographic works with autobiographical references taken in Norway in the anniversary exhibition "Documentary Photography Wüstenrot Foundation Awards revisited: Origin, Family Life" at the Museum für Photographie Braunschweig. He was one of the winners of the 04/2001 prize.

For three decades, the Wüstenrot Foundation's Documentary Photography Award has been one of the most important awards for conceptual documentary photography in Germany, focusing on socially relevant topics. This year, four former award winners from different years will be presented in a joint exhibition with their themes on aspects of origin and family life, which they have continuously pursued since receiving the award. In addition to Espen Eichhöfer, Verena Jaekel, Birte Kaufmann and Maziar Morbid are represented in the exhibition curated by Barbara Hofmann-Johnson.

Opening: 3.5.24, 7pm

Duration: 4.5. to 30.6.24

Further information here.

In the three-day exhibition "Erschütterung", 17 positions from the Lette Verein's teaching staff will be presented in the project space at Kunstquartier Bethanien. Stephanie Steinkopf, a teacher at the Lette Verein Berlin since 2021, is represented in the exhibition with her series "Virpi". Between 2014 and 2018, Stephanie Steinkopf accompanied the eponymous Finnish woman Virpi several times over longer periods of time in her everyday life on a small island off Helsinki in Finland. In a previous life, Virpi was once a successful entrepreneur who worked so much for many years that she suffered a burnout and fell into depression.

A work by Paula Winkler, created in collaboration with Sibylle Fendt, will also be shown.

Opening: 26.4.24, 7 to 10pm

The exhibition is open on 27 and 28.4.24 from 2 to 8pm.

Further information here.

The exhibition "Two wheels, one world" shows 25 photographs by 14 OSTKREUZ photographers that focus on the motorcycle as a pictorial motif. These photographs have been taken over the last 40 years in a total of 12 countries and on 5 continents.

Based on the history of Zschopau in the Ore Mountains and its reputation as a "motorcycle town", OSTKREUZ has conceived this exhibition for the municipal museum at Wildeck Castle and compiled a representative selection of photographs from the agency's image archive. Both black and white and color photographs by Sibylle Bergemann, Jörg Brüggemann, Emile Ducke, Espen Eichhöfer, Sibylle Fendt, Johanna-Maria Fritz, Harald Hauswald, Tobias Kruse, Ute Mahler, Dawin Meckel, Jordis Antonia Schlösser, Ina Schoenenburg, Maurice Weiss and Sebastian Wells are represented in the exhibition.

Opening: 25.4.24

Duration: 1.5. to 31.12.24

Further information here.

The Einstein Forum in Potsdam is showing Linn Schröder's series "I also think family pictures". In this series, she approaches the subject of childhood by pursuing memories from her own family memory and capturing them in photographs. For example, Linn Schröder travels to Poland with her twin daughters and follows the traces of her mother-in-law's escape during the Second World War, who was a little girl at the time. This creates a connection between three generations, the grandmother, the mother and the daughters.

The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the workshop "Konjunktur der Kindheit. Forays through contemporary German-language literature" on May 23 at the Einstein Forum.

On the same evening there will be an artist talk between Ingo Taubhorn, curator of the exhibition "Family Affairs", and Linn Schröder as part of the exhibition.

Duration: 25.4. to 8.7.24

Artist talk: 23.5.24, 7pm

Further information here.

Together with Spiegel author Christoph Reuter, Johanna-Maria Fritz was also awarded the Hansel-Mieth Prize for her report "Die letzten Bestatter von Bachmut". It tells the story of employees of the municipal funeral home who persevere in Bachmut and try to recover and bury the dead of the dying town.

The jury writes: "A piece that stays in the memory for a long time, a real reportage team effort: images and texts play together. A story that tells in miniature the perseverance of the people of Bachmut, the everyday madness of the siege." The award ceremony will take place on June 19 at 7pm in Fellbach, the keynote speaker will be Anette Dowideit from Correctiv.

Further information here.

We are delighted that Johanna-Maria Fritz has been awarded this year's World Press Photo Award in the "Stories" category for Europe!

On assignment for ZEIT, she photographed the effects of the explosions of the Russian-controlled Kakhovka Dam in southeastern Ukraine on June 6, 2023 and their impact on the city of Kherson and its inhabitants. The dam burst flooded around 17,500 homes on both the Ukrainian-controlled west bank and the Russian-controlled east bank of the river, killing hundreds of people, according to international media reports. Ukraine subsequently investigated the destruction and began filing charges of genocide against Russia at the International Criminal Court.

Johanna-Maria Fritz's series "Kakhovka Dam: Flood in a War Zone" comprises 10 impressive photographs taken between June 7 and 9, 2023. These will be on display as part of the World Press Photo 2024 Exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

Duration: 19.4. to 14.7.24

Further information here.

Until the end of May, the Kunsthalle Erfurt is showing the exhibition "On Strange Days Across Rivers to Cities and Villages to the End of the World“ by Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler and Ludwig Schirmer. As part of the exhibition, an artist talk with the photographer couple will take place on April 19, moderated by Prof. Dr. Kai Uwe Schierz (Director Kunstmuseen Erfurt) and Susanne Knorr (Curator Kunsthalle Erfurt).

To accompany the exhibition, the Mahlers have published the wonderful book "Ein Dorf 1950-2022" by Hartmann Books, which presents photographs by Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler and Ludwig Schirmer. Three photographers from one family have photographed the village of Berka in Thuringia over a period of more than 70 years. This is an unusual project, the result of several coincidences, which tells us a lot about this land, the village, its people and how things have developed.

The book "Ein Dorf" can be purchased from the publisher Hartmann Books for 68€. In addition to 252 illustrations, it contains texts by Jenny Erpenbeck, Anja Maier, Steffen Mau and Gary Van Zante. It was designed by Florian Lamm, Leipzig.

Artist talk: 19.4.24, 6.30pm

Duration of the exhibition: until 26.5.24

Here you can order "Ein Dorf 1950-2022" at Hartmann Books.

Further information here.

The Hamburger Werkstatt für Fotografie is showing Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler's long-term project "Kleinstadt", which they realized together from 2015.

For this project, the Mahlers traveled through Germany in a small car with a large camera and a stock of black-and-white flat films in search of images that document the atmosphere, attitude and life - in other words, the spirit - of small towns. Her striking shots freeze time and place and capture the idea of a small town in a kaleidoscope of images. The future of such towns will be decided in the next few years. Young people are the future - if they leave, small towns will die.

Linn Schröder (OSTKREUZ photographer and professor of photography at HAW Hamburg) will talk to the Mahlers about their photographic work as part of an artist talk.

Opening: 18.4.24, 6.30pm

Artist talk: 25.4.24, 7 pm

Duration: 19.4. until 27.6.24

Further information here.

In the exhibition "KONSTANTE B mit SILBERBLICK", the Inselgalerie Berlin is showing portrait photographs of East German artists by Sibylle Fendt. In addition to the portraits of the artists Tina Bara, Petra Flierl, Sabina Grzimek, Heidrun Hegewald, Sabine Herrmann, Carin Kreuzberg, Helga Paris, Barbara Raetsch and Erika Stürmer-Alex, works from the Beskow Art Archive as well as current works by these artists are on display. 
The portraits of the painters, graphic artists, sculptors and photographers were taken by Sibylle Fendt in their studios and immediate surroundings. 

In an accompanying event, Sibylle Fendt and Angelika Weißbach will talk about art from the GDR and contemporary positions in the Kunstarchiv Beeskow / Museum Utopie und Alltag. 

Artist talk: 13.2.24, 7 pm

Duration: until 16.3.24

Further information here.

Together with Amnesty International and the Ukrainian human rights activist and photographer Oleksandra Bienert, OSTKREUZ has developed a photo exhibition that provides insights into the everyday lives of people in Ukraine, which has been marked by war for two years, and asks: What is life like for people in Ukraine in the midst of this ongoing Russian war of aggression? How do people organize their everyday lives despite the great dangers? How do they try to preserve hope and a bit of normality?
The OSTKREUZ photographers Emile Ducke, Johanna-Maria Fritz and Sebastian Wells, who works together with the Ukrainian photographer Vsevolod Kazarin, have been to Ukraine several times independently of each other. Their images are complemented by facts that Amnesty International has researched on the ground in recent years, including the most serious human rights violations and war crimes.

The exhibition is on display in the foyer of the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Center of the Humboldt University Library in Berlin and is freely accessible during opening hours.

Opening: 22.2.24, 17:30 to 18:30

Duration: 23.2. to 22.3.24

Further information here.

Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler's works are characterized by a humanistic view of the world, they are committed to realism and at the same time characterized by strong subjective moments.
In the exhibition "An seltsamen Tagen über Flüsse in die Städte und Dörfer bis ans Ende der Welt", the Kunsthalle Erfurt is showing a selection from the series of works the Mahlers have produced together since 2008, including the comprehensive work entitled "An den Strömen", for which they have been photographing since 2019. 
"A Village", a group of works comprising four series created over a period of 70 years in Berka, Thuringia, forms another focal point of the exhibition. Ludwig Schirmer worked as a miller in the 1950s, and in his free time he photographed his village of Berka, the people, the celebrations and everyday life. His pictures were only discovered in his estate in 2001. Werner Mahler made Berka the subject of his diploma thesis in the 1970s. Twenty years later, he was commissioned by Stern magazine to do a report on the village. Ute Mahler, the daughter of Ludwig Schirmer, was born in Berka. She photographed the place of her childhood in 2021/2022. 

Opening: 2.3.24, 6 pm

Duration: 3.3. until 26.5.24 

Further information here.

The photographic book and exhibition project "A Village" illustrates
aspects of time and change. The focus is on the village of Berka in
Thuringia, which was photographed by two generations of one family over a period of 70 years: Ludwig Schirmer (1950-1960), Werner Mahler (1977/78 and 1998) and Ute Mahler (2021/22). The book presentation also provides a preview of the exhibition planned for spring 2025 at the Akademie der Künste as part of the European Month of Photography (EMOP).

The book "Ein Dorf" is published by Hartmann Books with texts by Jenny Erpenbeck, Anja Maier, Steffen Mau and Gary Van Zante. It was designed by Lamm & Kirch, Berlin/Leipzig.

In Berlin, the publication will be presented for the first time at the Akademie der Künste am Pariser Platz with a discussion with Ute Mahler, Jenny Erpenbeck and Steffen Mau, moderated by curator Maren Lübbke-Tidow.

Book presentation: 5.3.24, 7 pm

Admission: 6 €, reduced 4 €

Further information here.

The filmmakers Sabine Michel and Dörte Grimm have collaborated with OSTKREUZ photographer Ina Schoenenburg for their joint book "Es ist einmal. East German grandparents and their grandchildren in conversation", together with OSTKREUZ photographer Ina Schoenenburg. Together they are presenting the book at the "Literatur LIVE" event at the Pfefferberg Theater.

To this day, many East German families do not speak openly about life in the GDR. In these conversations between grandparents and their grandchildren born after 1982, which were written for this book, not only do the most diverse imprints and value systems collide, but also literally the future and the past. These stirring encounters are exemplary of how a dialog between the generations can be set in motion, and at the same time help us to understand current political developments in East Germany differently and better.

Book presentation: 7.3.24, 10 a.m.

Further information here.

With his photo project "Typ / Traube / Tross", which will be shown in the project space at Haus am Kleistpark in Schöneberg, OSTKREUZ photographer Sebastian Wells visually examines why young people support nationalism, here exemplified in Flanders.
In portraits of uniformed members of a nationalist student fraternity, in an examination of illustrated books from the Nazi era and the collective memory of passers-by, he analyzes the identity construct of right-wing extremists and their ideas of community. Sebastian Wells sees his role as that of an archaeologist, as his images create a visual environment in which the past inseparably intersects with the present. 

Opening: 14.3.24, 7 pm

Duration: 15.3. to 19.5.24

Further information here.