Review

This is
us

Portrait photography 1996 – 2013

Ever since photography was invented, images of people have been an unending source of fascination. The nine different series of portrait photography in this exhibition originated between 1996 and 2013. The pictures were taken on the street and in the studio, in a documentary context and in an experimental framework.

We experience the full spectrum of strategies, methods and attitudes currently adopted by photographers who address this genre from an artistic perspective. Some clearly draw on traditions well established in the history of art and photography, while others are notable precisely because they have broken with the conventions of classical portraiture, exploring the boundaries of the medium, the influence of the Internet and gender issues. For all the differences in approach, we discern two basic threads: portraits of individuals and portraits of society.

The photographers are Max Baumann, Kristleifur Björnsson, Dunja Evers, Verena Jaekel, Birgit Kleber, Boris Mikhailov, Loredana Nemes, Michael Schäfer and Tobias Zielony.