The Theater of Real Life Vol. 27

A true picture of our lived world is conveyed most powerfully through photography precisely when it is composed of many contrasting perspectives. No single viewpoint then reduces subjective experiences to conventional patterns of perception that are mistakenly taken for an unambiguous reality. A key criterion for the medium of photography lies in its relationship to reality, but it is precisely for this reason that it is important to re-examine this relationship in every photographic project. Beyond the claim to convey an objective view of the world, the aim is to develop photographic positions that articulately express highly individual perspectives, based on a deep understanding of one’s own artistic stance.

The works by the participants in the photography seminar “The Theatre of Real Life” in this catalogue come together to form a highly multi-layered portrayal of the present day, a time characterised by the dissolution of familiar orders and values. Viewers of the various series cannot rest on their laurels with conventional photographic narratives, but are repeatedly challenged to find their own bearings amidst the contrasts of clarity and chaos, public and private, stage and everyday life.