Eva Otaño Ugarte. Image from evaougarte.blogspot.de
This month, works from three separate photographers have been compiled to present a unique perspective of Berlin’s history. Entitled “Wild Wild Berlin”, the exciting show spans three decades, with each photographer’s images representing a different era in the German capital. Currently on display at Potsdamer Straße’s Zwitschermaschine until 23 October, the event arrives just in time for the European Month of Photography.
Comprising works by Miron Zownir, Eva Otaño Ugarte and Sebastian Mayer, each eccentric image shares the artist’s distinct relationship with the city. While each photo displays different faces and a few long-gone places, there is a commonality that lies within the chaos. A mesh of bustling street shots, art figures, pop music icons and subcultures – the exhibition is a dazzling showcase of Berlin’s most unforgettable moments.
Miron Zownir. Image from zwitschermaschine-berlin.de
The exhibition first transports patrons to the Eighties with Miron Zownir. Known as “Poet of Radical Photography”, his work sought to capture society’s outsiders. Each photograph centres on the subcultures and inner circles of Berlin’s most radical youth groups. Showcasing daily life for the city’s youth on both sides of the wall, the collection of images is a reminder of the rebellious behaviour that spawned from conflicting political views and social norms.
Progressing into the 1990s with Spanish-born Eva Otaño Ugarte, this specific era concentrates on the city’s underground community, a group that the artist first encountered upon her arrival in Mitte. Ugarte’s work, which focuses on the Berlin Wall’s demise, is an exploration of the historic event and its resulting impact on squatter circles. During a period where western gentrification was creeping in, the imagery is a fascinating look into Berlin’s not-so-distant past, and its radically different aesthetic.
Eva Otaño Ugarte. Image from evaougarte.blogspot.de
Sebastian Mayer. Image from zwitschermaschine-berlin.de
Though he also dabbles in the mediums of paint, film and video, Sebastian Mayer displays the exhibition’s most exemplary vision of wild through photography taken in the early 2000s. Best described as “arm aber sexy” (German for “poor but sexy”), the artist’s is often credited as a pioneer in the establishment of Berlin’s modern day aesthetic.
The exhibition is a great insight into the development historical and social transformation of Berlin. While the city appears slightly different in the photos above, the subjects from each portrait still embody the same energy seen in the metropolis today.
“Wild Wild Berlin” is on display at Berlin’s Zwitschermaschine gallery until 23 October 2016