Ute Mahler is one of the most significant contemporary photographers. Her early artistic work is closely linked to Sibylle, the East German magazine for fashion and culture; her fashion photography cannot be separated from her portraiture, which—alongside the clothing—was already a defining element of her images. Women and their representation in society remain a central focus of her photographic work to this day.

The exhibition presents all the series created on this theme for Sibylle in the 1980s, as well as a photo essay published in the FAZ magazine in 2020.

Born in Berka in 1949, Ute Mahler completed her photography studies at the Academy of Visual Arts (HGB) in Leipzig in 1974 and has worked as a freelance photographer ever since. In 1990, she co-founded the renowned agency OSTKREUZ – Agentur der Fotografen with six other East German photographers. She has been a lecturer at the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin since 2005 and held a professorship in photography at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences from 2000 to 2015. Since 2008, she has collaborated with her husband, Werner Mahler, producing work under a joint authorship; their long-term projects address current political, social, and personal conditions.

To accompany the exhibition, Hartmann Books is publishing Ute Mahler. The Same Sky – Women, Friends, Artists. Fashion photographs from 1975 to 1994 (24 × 30 cm, approx. 292 pages, approx. 200 illustrations; with texts by Annett Gröschner, Ute Mahler, and Johanna Eckhardt; ISBN 978-3-96070-075-3; €68). The book is available at a special price during the exhibition.

Tuesday, Sep 1, 2026, 7 – 9 pm
Opening reception
With speeches by:
Annette Tietz, Head curator of Galerie Pankow
Marit Lena Herrmann, Foto Arsenal Wien
Matthias Flügge, art historian, Berlin

Thursday, Sep 10, 2026, 7 pm
Book Presentation and Artist Talk (de)
Moderation: Anne Waak, autor and journalist, Berlin

Thursday, Sep 15, 2026, 7:30 pm 
Reading with Annett Gröschner (de)

Supported by the Exhibition Fund of the Municipal Galleries Berlin.
In cooperation with the Leonhardi-Museum Dresden.