The BLMK’s photography collection is the only museum collection of photography established in the GDR. Through astute collecting and acquisition strategies, a unique collection was successfully developed from the 1970s onwards. Alongside the GDR’s so-called “author photography,” the collection also encompasses a significant number of works and artistic approaches representing experimental photography. The exhibition presents these holdings as well as works on loan.

Because the GDR was so restrictive, all change was driven by a desire for liberation, self-expansion, and the crossing of boundaries. During the 1980s, collaborations among artists across various disciplines gave rise to currents of an „alternative GDR photography“—a „photography from below“—linked to subcultural developments in „art using photography.“ These works frequently found an outlet in privately produced photo portfolios and semi-legal magazines.

Photographers from the realm of non-conformist art—specifically those embodying an approach that combines „art with photography“—remain relatively underrepresented in the public consciousness. Their art presents aesthetic perspectives that differ fundamentally from the standard context of GDR photography: rather than serving as journalistic or documentary references to a depicted reality, they reflect upon their own framing conditions. They define themselves through the underlying idea rather than through external form.

The forms they take vary widely. They may be linked to actions, performances, and interventions. They are often characterized by an exploratory visual approach and a deliberately anti-aesthetic impulse. Sometimes they emerge solely from an unpredictable creative process; at other times, they manifest through serial organizational structures.

The exhibition concept is being developed by external curator Christoph Tannert.

The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue are being produced by the BLMK; following its presentation at the Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus, the exhibition will tour to other venues. Among others, it will be shown at the Stadtgalerie Kiel at the end of the year (December 12, 2026 – February 20, 2027).