In a dialogical double exhibition, the Museum of Photography Braunschweig presents the photographic artworks of Elina Brotherus (born 1972 in Helsinki, Finland, lives and works in Helsinki and Avallon, France) and Angelika Platen (born 1942 in Heidelberg, lives in Berlin and the South of France).

The two artists engage with the theme of portraiture in different ways, focusing on aspects of the individuality of artists and their works, on art and identity, and on art and society. While Angelika Platen can be considered an important chronicler and portrait photographer of the development of contemporary art since the late 1960s, Elina Brotherus dedicates herself to the subject of portraiture and the exploration of artistic identities through metaphorically subtle self-presentations. Iconic imagery, representative moments, and the interconnectedness of artistic works appear transformed into associative images.

Torhaus 1 (Gatehouse 1)

Angelika Platen – Portraits and Documentation of Art Actions from the Late 1960s to the Early 1970s.

With her portraits of international contemporary artists, Angelika Platen is one of the most important photographers of contemporary art. Her portraits reveal encounters with the individuality of artistic personalities in authentic and compositionally distinctive moments.

Her extensive body of work, now spanning five decades, has been created in three phases since the late 1960s, with a break from the mid-1970s until the late 1990s, during which the artist lived in Paris. Initially, Angelika Platen focused exclusively on black-and-white portraits, capturing the spirit of change and conceptual reorientations of the emerging international post-war art avant-garde in her distinctive images of artists. In later phases of her career, she consciously expanded her work to include portraits of female artists and color photography.

The exhibition at the Museum of Photography Braunschweig, a joint exhibition with Elina Brotherus in Torhaus 2, presents important photographs by Angelika Platen documenting the public art scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her pushing of artistic boundaries and actions became significant social contributions that continue to illustrate the formal and action-oriented possibilities of art.

One room focuses on Joseph Beuys, whose “expanded concept of art” imbued unusual materials like felt and fat with symbolic meaning, and who, through political protest actions, also challenged the art establishment. His objects later became sought-after and highly prized collector’s items.

Many of Angelika Platen’s portraits became iconic – among them the famous double portrait of Angelika Platen and Sigmar Polke in the mirror. It was created during a visit by the artist to Willich in the early 1970s.

Her sensitivity to special moments, pictorial compositions, and meaningful events reflects the development of contemporary art and its protagonists in a unique way. The documentation of an action by Daniel Buren in Düsseldorf allows for connections to Braunschweig and Wolfsburg.

Torhaus 2 (Gatehouse 2)

Elina Brotherus – Portrait stagings and a film work with references to Joseph Beuys, Caspar David Friedrich, John Baldessari, John Cage, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Valie Export, Erwin Wurm, and Alvar Aalto.

Elina Brotherus is one of the most important contemporary Finnish artists. Her photographic and filmic work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions. In Lower Saxony, however, she has only been represented by a few select pieces in group exhibitions. The Museum of Photography Braunschweig aims to rectify this and, with this dialogical exhibition featuring Angelika Platen, presents two artists whose multifaceted work explores the theme of portraiture, particularly portraits of artists.

Like Angelika Platen, Elina Brotherus also dedicated herself to the meaning and facets of portraiture in the context of movements such as Fluxus and Conceptual Art. While for Angelika Platen, for example, the documentation of Joseph Beuys’s actions is one of important series of works that present the portrait in the context of his working methods and actions, Elina Brotherus, among other things, has dealt with Joseph Beuys in a more metaphorical way in a recent comprehensive series of works, translating aspects of his work in conjunction with symbols into her own pictorial spaces.

With her exploration of the relationship between identity, art, and space, Elina Brotherus has also engaged with Alvar Aalto in several of her works. Aalto, whose buildings made him an important architect in Wolfsburg, is also featured in her work. The 50th anniversary of his death will be commemorated in 2026.

A new edition of her work will be published in conjunction with the exhibition, and events with the Aalto Society are being planned.

Cooperation

This exhibition is a collaborative project with halle267 – the Braunschweig Municipal Gallery, where Angelika Platen’s portrait work will be extensively featured in the exhibition “Leaps of Joy and Other Encounters: Portraits of Artists from Five Decades” from February 20 to March 29, 2026.

A comprehensive program accompanies both exhibitions.

Friday, Feb 20, 2026, 7 pm
Opening reception
Welcome by Axel Grüner, Member of the board Museum für Photographie e. V., Prof. Dr. Anja Hesse, City Councilor for Culture and Science, City of Braunschweig. Introduction by Barbara Hofmann-Johnson, director of the Museum für Photographie Braunschweig and curator of the exhibition.

Every 1st Thu/Month
HAPPY THURSDAYS
Free admission every first Thursday of the month, and Guided Tour (de) at 6 pm.

Sundays, 4 pm
Guided Tours (de)

Please register for the following framework events in advance via vermittlung@photomuseum.de

Saturday, Feb 21, 2026, 12 noon
Guided walk (de/en)
with the artists Angelika Platen, Elina Brotherus and Barbara Hofmann-Johnson, director Museum für Photographie Braunschweig.
Details

Sunday, Mar 8, 2026, 3 pm
Guided tour on International Women’s Day (de)
Details

Saturday, Mar 7, 2026, 3 – 4:30 pm
Children’s Workshop (de)
Photo Workshop with Daphne Schüttkemper.
Details

Saturday, Mar 14, 2026, 3:30 pm
Talk with Marcus Körber & Barbara Hofmann-Johnson (de)
Location: Wolfsburg Municipal Gallery.
Art and its Minds – Works from the Wolfsburg Municipal Gallery’s collection and portraits of artists by Angelika Platen. A dialogue with Marcus Körber (Director of the Wolfsburg Municipal Gallery) and Barbara Hofmann-Johnson (Director of the Museum of Photography Braunschweig) on ​​the exhibitions “Leaps of Joy and Other Encounters – Portraits by Angelika Platen” at halle267 and “Double Lives – Reflections and Facets of Artistic Identities”.

Friday, Mar 27, 2026, 3 pm
Family Tour (de)
With Pauline Behrmann.
Details

Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026, 10:30 am
FiBS Children’s Workshop (de)
With Pauline Behrmann.
Details

Easter Opening Hours
Closed on Good Friday, otherwise regular opening hours:
Tue – Fri 1 – 6 pm, Sat & Sun 11 am – 6 pm, 1st Thu/month 1 – 8 pm.

Saturday, Apr 11, 2026, 3 pm
Artist Talk “Alvar Aalto Revisited” (de/en)
An artist talk on the photographic works of Elina Brotherus and their relationship to the architecture of Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). With Elina Brotherus and Bettina Maria Brosowsky, architect and cultural journalist.
As part of the event, the museum will host an exclusive pre-presentation of the new publication “Aalto and Nature” (Birkhäuser Verlag, May 2026). Additionally, the museum will present new special editions by Elina Brotherus.
Details

Sunday, Apr 19, 2026, 4 pm
Curator’s Guided Tour (de) & Finissage
With Barbara Hofmann-Johnson (Director of the Museum of Photography Braunschweig).
Details