Loredana Nemes’ “Winfried” afrom the series “Pinstripes”. Image from monopol-magazin.com
With the European Month of Photography nearly coming to a close, there are still a lot of exhibitions on display. A multitude of genres exist within photography, and this year’s event aims to include every unique set. One theme that has already appeared in a multitude of EMoP exhibitions is the question of identity – with photographers exploring their own personal identity as well as that of others. Here is a look into the 5 Berlin-based exhibitions that best reflect this trend.
Loredana Nemes’ “Joachim” and “Sebastian” from the series “Pinstripes”. Images from fotografie-in.berlin.com
“Pinstripes” Loredana Nemes,
Podbielski Contemporary
Koppenplatz 5, 10115
An exhibition centred on the corporate-oriented working men often referred to as “suits”, Loredan Nemes aims to find individuality and humanity in the banking business through the adaptation of the banker’s classic uniform. A group of people not necessarily well-known to the Romanian photographer, each subject is undone and ruffled up. By altering and adjusting each individual’s attire, Nemes gives off the impression there is more than just a white collar man in front of the camera – a true unveiling of humanity.
“Pinstripes” runs until 19 November 2016
“Hemd” and “Bibel” from the series “What Remains. Flight Luggage” by Dagmar Gester. Images from emop-berlin.eu
“What Remains. Flight Luggage” Dagmar Gester
Nachbarschaftstreff im Schillerkiez
Mahlower Straße 27, 12049
Berlin-based photographer, Dagmar Gester, also concentrates on the individuality of a person through their possessions for her project “What Remains. Flight Luggage”. Gester procures items refugees took with them upon fleeing their countries, and photographs the various articles. Although the owners of the items are not visually presented in the imagery, the aim is for the audience to feel a sense intimacy through the objects. From shirts to stuffed toys, each photograph has the owner’s name, age and travel route printed underneath, hammering home the idea of a loss of homeland and what remains.
“What Remains. Flight Baggage” runs until 30 November 2016
From the series “Unnecessary Warsaw Correspondent” by Katharina Marszewski. Image from schnittraum-lutzbecker.de
“Unnecessary Warsaw Correspondent” Katharina Marszewski
Exile
Kurfürstenstraße 19, 10785
This work by Katharina Marszewski brings up a different facet of identity when compared to the previous two shows. In her project “Unnecessary Warsaw Correspondent”, a range of visual material is displayed, all of which Marszewski came across in her native Warsaw. The items she has chosen to photograph depict a collection of non-linear events and a language the artist, who cites Warsaw (“the city I couldn’t live in”) as her muse. Does this series of images express a longing for the artist’s city? Or does it show a yearning for another identity? Either way, the images portray a documentation of the place she calls home, giving viewers an insight into her personality and the city that built it.
“Unnecessary Warsaw Correspondent” runs until 17 November 2016
Rick Burger’s “Fetisch Hakan” and “Fetish John” from the series “TRUE-FAKE-LOST IDENTITY. Images from emop-berlin.eu
“True-Fake-Lost Identity” Rick Burger, Stefan Gräf and Jan Groszer
Art Gallery DENCKER+SCHNEIDER
Kalckreuthstraße 14, 10777
In the group exhibition “True-Fake-Lost Identity”, Rick Burger, Stefan Gräf and Jan Groszer explore the idea of losing identity and claiming it back. Exploring identity as a myth, through the thought that reclamation of one’s identity requires acquiring a fake one first, the group also questions natural identity – arguing that it doesn’t exist. Raising the idea that freedom of identity is a privilege for the educated, the exhibition concludes that only those who can afford to construct themselves through consumer culture can truly create an identity. If everything a person experiences, buys and sees becomes a signifier of who they are, there is a constant influence on that person’s identity.
“True-Fake-Lost Identity” runs until 16 December 2016
From the series “ICON” by Pola SieverdingImages from emop-berlin.eu
“Icon” Pola Sieverding
Anna Jill Lüpertz Gallery Mitte
Mittelstraße 40, 10117
Using a variety of mediums including photography, film, installation and sound, “Ikon” by Pola Sieverding explores questions of representation and photography. Like the work displayed in “True-Fake-Lost Identity”, the examination of cultural constructs is undertaken in these photographs, again, in the form of portraits. Focusing on her work from the last decade, the photographer displays imagery of friends and family, pairing these key figures with “the body politics and image practices of various epochs in art and cinematic history”.
“Ikon” runs until 28 October 2016