This exhibition focuses on photographic works that may strike the viewer as strange, that make them pause. Images that significantly unsettle us sometimes force us to stop and look more closely. They can evoke unease and wonder, but also amazement and curiosity. All of this, in turn, leads to a deeper engagement with the image and stimulates reflection.
The selected photographers deliberately break with our expectations and (visual) experiences—for example, through unusual perspectives, extreme close-ups, or absurd image compositions. Likewise, several of them question social norms or taboos, thus creating a feeling of unease or uncertainty in the viewer. Using overexposure, blurring, long exposures, multiple exposures, chemical manipulations in the darkroom, or digital distortions, the photographers disrupt the familiar „fidelity to reality“ in photography. Thus, the question of deception and truth resonates in all the works. Sometimes the images are staged, hovering between reality and fiction; sometimes they are photomontages or collages, combining multiple images to create a new, often surreal, visual world.
The range of subjects explored by the individual photographers is wide: they depict everyday situations and objects, dedicate themselves to portraiture, and also to landscapes. What unites them all, however, is their deliberate use of provocation, which gives their images a powerful emotional impact, ensuring that the photographs linger in the memory and become memorable. The exhibition also demonstrates how artists of different generations repeatedly use the medium of photography to disrupt visual conventions and raise pressing social issues.
Featuring works by Claus Bach, Gerd Bonfert, Kurt Buchwald, Klaus Elle, VALIE EXPORT, Katja Eydel, Thomas Florschuetz, Andreas Gefeller, Stefan Heyne, Joachim Jansong, York der Knöfel, Matthias Leupold, Ulrich Lindner, Steffen Mertens, ORLAN, Marc Räder, Michael Schade, Hans-Christian Schink, Erasmus Schröter, Klaus Wittkugel, and Edwin Zwakmann.
Framework program
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Friday, March 13, 2026, 7 pm
Opening reception
Free admission to the exhibition from 7 pm.
7:30 pm: Welcome by Ulrike Kremeier, Director, BLMK. Introduction by Carmen Schliebe, Curator of the Photography Collection. Music by MaNiKa Trio Cottbus – Martha Hoyer, violin; Nikolai Bangeow, bass; Kamen Bangeow, guitar.
Details
Wednesday, Apr 8, 2026, 2 – 3 pm
Guided Tour / Art Circle 60+ (de)
Admission incl. 60-minute guided tour with Carmen Schliebe 4,50 €. Note: Guided tours only take place with a minimum of 3 participants.
Details
Tuesday, Apr 21, 11 am / May 5, 4:30 pm / May 19, 11 am
Guided Tour (de)
Admission incl. 60-minute guided tour with Carmen Schliebe 5,50 €. Note: Guided tours only take place with a minimum of 3 participants.
Details
