The exhibition “New York Moves and Black Communities” presents—for the first time in a German museum—key bodies of work by Jamel Shabazz (b. 1960). On display are black-and-white and color photographs from the early 1980s, early photo albums, and publications by the Brooklyn-based photographer.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jamel Shabazz began photographing people he encountered on the streets of New York in the late 1970s. Since then, his portraits have largely been created in public spaces, aligning with the tradition of street photography. For nearly five decades, Shabazz has focused primarily on individuals from Black and Latinx communities and their lived experiences in New York. His portraits consistently reveal empathy and a sense of closeness; compositionally, they capture unique moments within the urban landscape—a setting that serves as a space for social interaction and a stage for identity formation for many of his subjects. Street life, encounters in subways and residential neighborhoods, individual fashion styles, and striking poses are transformed into distinctive, authentic photographic moments. Time and again—as the images attest—it is Black communities that provide the impetus for stylistic developments that later go global. Intertwined with youth and music movements like hip-hop, dance forms such as breakdancing, and modes of expression within the streetwear and graffiti scenes, these communities have created and decisively shaped enduring cultural contexts. Jamel Shabazz’s photographs succeed in capturing the positive vitality and lived moments of minorities and individuals often socially disadvantaged due to their skin color, even amidst challenging socioeconomic circumstances.

In 2018, the photographer received an award from the Gordon Parks Foundation. This was followed in 2022 by a Gordon Parks Foundation publication award for a book released by Steidl. Following significant museum exhibitions in New York and Europe, as well as numerous international publications, the Museum für Photographie Braunschweig is presenting the work of this New York-based artist in his first museum exhibition in Germany.

An extensive program of events for various age groups is planned to accompany the exhibition, complemented by lectures and workshops on street photography as a genre.

The exhibition is being organized in cooperation with Kunsthaus Nürnberg and with the support of Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne.
Exhibition dates in Nuremberg: October 24, 2026 – January 17, 2027

Friday, July 10, 2026, 7 pm 
Opening Reception & Summer Party
Welcome address:
Dr. Bernd Farny, Board Member, Museum für Photographie Braunschweig e. V.
Introduction:
Barbara Hofmann-Johnson, Museum Director and Exhibition Curator & Matthias Dachwald, Director of Kunsthaus Nürnberg.

Saturday, July 11, 2026, 3 pm
Exhibition tour (de)
With Barbara Hofmann-Johnson (Curator) and Lukas Helling.

Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10:30 am – 2 pm
FiBS holiday workshop: “Street Photography” (de)
With Pauline Behrmann (for children aged 7–12); registration: vermittlung@photomuseum.de

Thursday, July 30, 2026, 10:30 am – 2 pm
FiBS holiday workshop: “Street Photography” (de)
With Sonja Bürmann (for youths aged 13–17); registration: vermittlung@photomuseum.de

Thursday, Aug 6, 2026, 1 – 8 pm
Happy Thursday
Free admission, extended opening hours until 8 pm, and guided tour (de) with the museum team at 6 pm.

Saturday, Aug 8, 3 – 5 pm
Photography workshop (de)
With Lydia Plinke. Registration: vermittlung@photomuseum.de

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2026, 4 pm
World Photography Day
Lecture: Gordon Parks and Jamel Shabazz – Traditions of socially engaged photography within Black communities in New York. Registration: info@photomuseum.de

Thursday, Sep 3, 2026, 1 – 8 pm
Happy Thursday
Free admission, extended opening hours until 8 pm, and guided tour (de) with the museum team at 6 pm.

Friday, Sep 4, 2026, 3 pm
Family tour (de)
With Pauline Behrmann. Registration: info@photomuseum.de

Saturday, Sep 5, 2026, 3 pm
Lecture (de)
By Lukas Helling, media scholar. The Message: Hip-Hop & Jamel Shabazz’s New York of the 1980s—Between Social Crisis and Cultural Resilience. Registration: info@photomuseum.de

Saturday, Sep 12, 2026, 12 noon – 6 pm
8th Regional Music Festival
Featuring various ensembles in the museum garden; open to the public (Free admission to the concerts).

Sunday, Sep 13, 2026, 11 am – 6 pm
Culture Mile 2026
A collaboration between Staatstheater Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Städtisches Museum Braunschweig, Städtische Musikschule Braunschweig, and Museum für Photographie Braunschweig: tours, photography activities, dance, and music. 4 pm: Tour with Barbara Hofmann-Johnson, exhibition curator. Free admission.

Guided tours for various age groups, children’s birthday parties, and workshops can be booked individually via vermittlung@photomuseum.de