Exhibition: gute aussichten 2018/2019 at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg

Contemporary photography lovers mustn’t miss the exhibition titled “gute aussichten - junge deutsche fotografie 2018/2019” or “good prospects - young German photography 2018/2019” in the House of Photography in Hamburg. Looking at a world that is in a state of profound transformation.


If you’re planning on a visit to Hamburg over summer, then here is a must-see exhibition at the Haus der Photografie - the house of photography - which is part of the Deichtorhallen exhibition venue in Hamburg (link). With its international temporary exhibitions on photography and the important F.C. Gundlach collection, the Haus der Photographie is the focal point of photography in Hamburg. Since it was established in 2003, the house of photography has featured historical works from the 19th to the 21st centuries as well as young contemporary photographers.
One of the initiatives is the annual “gute aussichten”. An exhibition now in its fifteenth year that presents a range of concepts, aesthetics, and media that exemplify the work of young photographers in Germany. So you get a surprising range of diverse ideas, photographic strategies, as well as formal and media implementations that reflect the status quo of the photography by these young talents. 
A nine-member jury, which included the renowned photographer Elger Esser and the well-known publisher Gerhard Steidl, chose the images for the exhibition that will open on 13 July and will run until 3 October 2019. The nine award winners and their works were selected out of 98 submissions from 40 institutions. Despite the diversity of themes and forms, the works share the connecting element of the turning point, of change, of crisis, which often brings things to a close at the beginning and begins something new at the end. The winners of the exhibition “gute aussichten - junge deutsche fotografie 2018/2019” explore this highly relevant theme with great intensity, exploiting the full potential of photography, a constantly evolving art, irrespective of the increasingly refined technical possibilities.
The second edition of the HAMBURGER HELDEN (Heroes of Hamburg) series, which successfully kicked off last year with the exhibition DIE ZWEITE HEIMAT (The Second Home) by photographer Peter Bialobrzeski, is taking place in conjunction with the exhibition of young German photographers. This year is it continuing with LEBEN (life) by the photographer Walter Schels (*1936), who, for more than 50 years has engaged with extreme situations of human life like almost no other photographer of his generation. This exceptional photographer has explored the margins of existence for many of his projects: his series and long-term projects focus on birth as well as dying. In the style of a traditional studio photographer, he depicts people with disabilities as well as famous personalities in front of a usually neutral, often dark background. He removes the figure from its environment and focuses on the body as well as the facial expressions of his subjects. His photography has earned him a reputation as a thoughtful existentialist within contemporary portrait photography. 
This makes a visit to the House of Photography an excellent opportunity to explore in depth the present photography scene in Germany from midway through the last century until now. 


Exhibition: “gute aussichten - junge deutsche fotografie 2018/2019”
from 13 July to 3 October 2019
Exhibition: Walter Schels Leben
from 19 July to 3 October 2019
Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany
Images: see captions
Winners:
Lorraine Hellwig / Y A Manifesto / Hochschule München
Laila Kaletta / A Dead Flower Will Never Bloom / Lette-Verein, Berlin
Patrick Knuchel / Die "Konkrete" Idee / Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle
Benjamin Kummer / Konstruktion Raum / Neue Schule für Fotografie, Berlin
Steve Luxembourg / Der Schatten / Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig
Sina Niemeyer / Für mich – A Way Of Reconciliation / Hochschule Hannover
Malte Sänger / Abdrücke / Hochschule für Gestaltung, Offenbach/Main
Robert ter Horst / Playtime / Fachhochschule Bielefeld
Anna Tiessen / Kommando Korn / Ostkreuzschule Berlin
Find out more: https://www.deichtorhallen.de