PORTRAITS WITHOUT BORDERS 

International Group Exhibition

December 10^th, 2021 – February 4^th, 2022

What makes a photograph a portrait? Today, portrait photography is everywhere and has become a more and more powerful tool in (re)defining individual and collective identities. Portraiture has been constantly reinvented by photographers since the mid-19^th century. It has expanded without limits into such a wide spectrum of practices that defining what a photographic portrait is seems increasingly complex.

“Portraits without Borders” brings together 29 artists from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and North America, most of them selected from over 260 applications to the open call launched by FOTOGALERIE during the fall. Many of them are showing their work in Berlin for the first time.

This group exhibition explores the boundaries of contemporary portrait photography, through a variety of topics and uses of the photographic medium. Going from self-portraits, to documentary projects, to studio photography, from photomontage, to collage, to embroidery, this exhibition is a multifaceted portrait of a genre too often taken for granted.

After months and months of social distancing, diving into portraiture is also a way to reconnect with one another, and examine the interdependence of the individual and society, made blatant by the pandemic.

The supporting program includes numerous activities on Instagram and an artist talk at FOTOGALERIE in January.

Exhibition: December 10^th, 2021 – February 4^th, 2022 / Free admission

Dates:

Wednesday, January 19,  at 6:15pm:
Instagram live conversations with Phanuphan Kitsawaeng  from the exhibition
via our new insta channel @fotogalerie.friedrichshain

Wednesday, January 26, at 6:15pm:
Instagram live conversations with artists* from the exhibition
via our new insta channel @fotogalerie.friedrichshain

Saturday, January 22, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm:
Experimental photography workshop at Fotogalerie (2G+ with 24h test result necessary).
Material costs: 20 € per person
Maximum number of participants: 5
For the workshop you will also need a smartphone or tablet.
We ask for registration by mail to: fotogalerie@kulturring.berlin

What makes a photo a portrait? Today, portrait photography is ubiquitous and significantly shapes the definition of individual and collective identities. From the first portraits in the mid-19th century, the genre has expanded into a wide range of practices. On the occasion of the exhibition Portraits without Borders, Fotogalerie Friedrichshain invites you to an experimental workshop.

Can one photograph unite different portraits? Does the portrait always represent a face? And how can the image be manipulated? Together with the artists Céline Pilch and Stefan Hansch, the boundaries of portrait photography will be explored and expanded. Combining digital and analog photography, experiments are created in the darkroom and on the screen. We use smartphones, tablets, black and white photo paper and various transparencies. Anything goes, for a new take on the old familiar portrait.

Thursday, January 27, 6-8 p.m. (free admission):
6 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition in German with gallery director Felix Hawran.
7 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition in English with co-curator Claire Ducresson-Boet

Maximum number of participants: 9 persons each, registration required at fotogalerie@kulturring.berlin.
 
Exhibition until February 4 2022