„Berlin is still absolutely unreal“

Berlin Reinbeckhallen are showing well-known and lesser-known insights into the Berlin photography scene between 1945 and 2000 until the end of May 2021.

With the current exhibition in the Reinbeckhallen in Berlin-Oberschöneweide, the curator Candice M. Hamelin manages to bring two things together: important trends in Berlin’s photography history on the one hand and a visual city history between 1945 and 2000 on the other. Oriented by the historic events like the construction of the Wall, the division of the city and the fall of the Wall, the exhibition is divided into three phases: 1945 – 1960, 1961 – 1988 and 1989 – 2000.

In the early phase, Herbert Hensky’s post-war photos from the destroyed city are very impressive, the pictures of the ruins, rubble women and young people. Hensky’s pictures succeed in moving the viewer emotionally into the post-war situation. In one of the pictures two boys are sitting at the water somewhere with their self-made fishing rods, in the background the ruins of bombed houses are reflected on the surface of the water. And it comes to mind that while children often enjoy fishing, the two of them may also make a valuable contribution to the nutrition of their families.

Arno Fischers and Will McBrides pictures finally show pictures from a time when life has got going again, the “Wirtschaftswunder” has begun, people are going on trips again, some can even afford cars, some people can enjoy life more carefree, at a boat trip or at the Strandbad Wannsee.

From the time of the divided city we finally see Roger Melin’s picture series from the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee (in East Berlin), as well as Max Jacoby’s series “Bleibtreustraße” (in West Berlin). From today’s perspective, the most exciting series of this era are Karl-Ludwig Lange’s pictures from the “Oranienstrasse” series from 1977. The series shows the shops in Kreuzberg’s Oranienstrasse seen from the street, without people, only with a view of the shop front. You can recognize individual places – and you can see how deeply this street has changed, perhaps several times in the meantime.

From the time after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Andreas Rost’s Tacheles and Love Parade pictures are memorable, which now tell of times gone by. Nan Goldin, who has visited Berlin several times and presented her series „The Ballad of Sexual Dependency“ among other things, had close friendships in Berlin. In the exhibition we see some personal portraits that she made of the artist Piotr Nathan.

The exhibition can still be seen until May 30, 2021, according to the current status Thursday and Friday 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday & public holidays 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The wonderful catalog was published by Hartmann Books (German and English, 144 pages).

Berlin, 1945-2000: A Photographic Subject

With works by Wilfried Bauer, Sibylle Bergemann, Kurt Buchwald, Gundula Schulze-Eldowy, Arno Fischer, Nan Goldin, Herbert Hensky, Max Jacoby, Karl-Ludwig Lange, Will McBride, Rudi Meisel, Roger Melis, Evelyn Richter, Andreas Rost, Michael Schmidt, Maria Sewcz, Michael Wesely, Anno Wilms, Lothar Winkler, Ulrich Wüst, Werner Zellien, Harf Zimmermann and Miron Zownir

Stiftung Reinbeckhallen
Sammlung für Gegenwartskunst
Reinbeckstrasse 11
12459 Berlin
stiftung-reinbeckhallen.de
Admission: 9 euros, reduced 4 euros

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