After August Sander
People of the 21st Century
28 Jan - 29 May 2022
Collier Schorr, Wes Portrait, 2009-2018, Copyright the artist, Courtesy Modern Art, London and 303 Gallery, New York
In his collection of portraits, “People of the 20th Century”, August Sander (1876–1964) created a monumental life’s work that made photographic history and influenced generations of artists.
The photographer, who was born in Herdorf near Siegen, depicted occupational groups and social classes for decades. Working on a portrait of society in his time, Sander not only developed archetypal images, but also sought to examine the character of man in relation to community.
“After August Sander” combines the work of the world-renowned and regionally based photographer with a contemporary perspective. Artistic positions are shown that bring back August Sander’s oeuvre both directly and indirectly in their works. Starting out from 70 photographs that Sander compiled for presentations in Siegerland as late as the early 1960s, the exhibition turns its gaze to images of people in the 21st century. Artistic positions are shown that bring back August Sander’s oeuvre both directly and indirectly in their works.
The deliberate leap in time of around 100 years visualizes the differing views of life and other influences on the individual. Despite its historical reference, the exhibition does not remain exclusively with the medium of photography but also presents video installations and sculptures in a reflection of our time.
With contributions by
August Sander
Mohamed Bourouissa
Jos de Gruyter
& Harald Thys
Hans Eijkelboom
Omer Fast
Soham Gupta
Sharon Hayes
Bouchra Khalili
Ilya Lipkin
Sandra Schäfer
Collier Schorr
Tobias Zielony
Artur Żmijewski
Curator
Thomas Thiel
The photographer, who was born in Herdorf near Siegen, depicted occupational groups and social classes for decades. Working on a portrait of society in his time, Sander not only developed archetypal images, but also sought to examine the character of man in relation to community.
“After August Sander” combines the work of the world-renowned and regionally based photographer with a contemporary perspective. Artistic positions are shown that bring back August Sander’s oeuvre both directly and indirectly in their works. Starting out from 70 photographs that Sander compiled for presentations in Siegerland as late as the early 1960s, the exhibition turns its gaze to images of people in the 21st century. Artistic positions are shown that bring back August Sander’s oeuvre both directly and indirectly in their works.
The deliberate leap in time of around 100 years visualizes the differing views of life and other influences on the individual. Despite its historical reference, the exhibition does not remain exclusively with the medium of photography but also presents video installations and sculptures in a reflection of our time.
With contributions by
August Sander
Mohamed Bourouissa
Jos de Gruyter
& Harald Thys
Hans Eijkelboom
Omer Fast
Soham Gupta
Sharon Hayes
Bouchra Khalili
Ilya Lipkin
Sandra Schäfer
Collier Schorr
Tobias Zielony
Artur Żmijewski
Curator
Thomas Thiel