Gute Aussichten: New German Photography 2014/2015

Vernissage presentation "Photography in Germany today" (Rebecca Sampson, photographer, laureate of "gute aussichten") and reception on Monday, April 6, 2015, 7 p.m.

“Germany’s most renowned competition for young photographers” - Spiegel

Eight award winners and a first look at their works: Distrust that Particular Flavor.

What do we see? A shirt that is cut open, showing the torso and the stomach of a dead man, the structure of the fabric imprinted on his skin. Next to it, we find the image of a wall covered in mint-green tiles and a shower head with a transparent bathing cap made of plastic. A tall man from Ghana in traditional garb holds on to the laces of a pair of brand new bright blue and green soccer shoes. A photographer on a constant commercial mission plays a photographer in a movie without taking a single picture in the process. Pictures of house facades in black and white, entrances and exits, paths and streets, fences, garages, parking lots — more than 160 small-format images, all submerged in gray autumn light.

In its eleventh year, “gute aussichten” finds that the young generation of photographers is after the most basic and existential questions of life: the banality of death and that which remains — or that, following the deceased, vanishes without a trace. Or the rootedness that people find in their tradition or origins, and how even they have long ago integrated the gadgets and everyday objects of the (affluent) western society. Or photography as an action, a job that has to be done, a job in the course of which an image emerges — only to become a minor part, just like the photographer herself. Simultaneously this shows the other side of the coin when it comes to years and years of studying art — “an image” has to be created in many different ways. Then there is a deliberate search for traces on altogether mundane routes that shows us how the things that we overlook in our daily routine can become visible and palpable — once we decide to pay attention and change our perspective.

In other words: The eight “gute aussichten 2014/2015” award winners are hot on life's heels. Death, migration, discrimination, loneliness, isolation and desperation are put face to face with happiness, cognizance, diversity and creative energy. With their works, these photographers constantly challenge us. Just taking pictures does not suffice for them. They are looking for signs, hints, echos, scents and nuances. They show the traces that life leaves behind with us. They give us a taste of the shape that we’re in — individually as well as when it comes to our society as a whole. Or as William Gibson, the American writer who coined the term “Cyberspace” has put it: “(Always) Distrust that Particular Flavor.”

The jury of seven chose eight award winners out of 115 applications from 40 different institutions. The works could hardly be more different from each other. This year the exhibition features works by Karolin Back, Katharina Fricke, Andrea Grützner, Marvin Hüttermann, Stefanie Schroeder, Jannis Schulze, Kolja Warnecke, Eduard Zent.

“gute aussichten” presents a unique and far-ranging synopsis in terms of both the content and style of the works created by young photographers in Germany during the past 12 months. Individual image series are distinguished by their highly diverse aesthetic, formal and conceptual approaches, providing an insight into the multifaceted themes that form the focus of young artists’ interests today.
Website of gute aussichten: www.guteaussichten.org

Opening Hours
Monday-Friday 12.00 – 19.00