The group exhibition WURZEL (engl. root) presents nine photographic positions from the seminar led by Tobias Kruse at the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie Berlin.
The title concept is interpreted differently by each of the individual positions. It refers equally to its botanical origin and to the term for a supportive social network.
The root appears as an energising network in the everyday lives of female football fans, in the life of a Berlin neighbourhood, or in an alternative residential community where older people have come together. It connects with the past, triggers a confrontation with a deceased mother, or forms the starting point for exploring the place of one’s own childhood and youth. It can be understood as a longing for roots in an unrequited love, and it is found in the photographic exploration of origins and the handling of masculinity. Two works are devoted to roots in the literal sense: they observe the cycle of a solitary tree in Berlin and show us the endangered forests.
The exhibition provides insight into these networks and brings to light stories that would otherwise have remained hidden.
Nico Roicke | Westend Girls
The series Westend Girls shows women from the stands of Hertha BSC without forcing them into exaggerated roles as football fans. They all know each other and stand together not far from the black-clad ultras at the heart of the fan scene. The photographs are quiet portraits of private life, revealing the subtle connections between identity, everyday life and club support. The result is a multi-layered panorama that offers a different perspective on football fans.
Florian Stumpe | O S N A B R Ü C K
Retrospectively, each place was a world of its own and usually a better one. Today, many people look back nostalgically on a past that they themselves have sometimes never experienced. In times of recurring upheaval, Florian Stumpe finds no nostalgia for his previous life in a city that generally stands as a metaphor for an insignificant place. The urban space of his homeland features both rural and urban elements. These act as an interpretation of rediscovered traces from the past and encourage us to reflect on the meaning of family and cultural identity, to become aware of our own roots and surroundings, or even to accept the dissolution of connections.
Albors Daemi | Der Baum
“The Tree” shows photographs of the same city tree over three seasons. Set in concrete in an industrial yard with limited root space, it becomes a vehicle for human projections: guilt, hope, responsibility. A photographic study of perception and political Legibility of nature.
Michael Küpker | Tinamuttermama
Tina died alone in her apartment in 2014. What remained were photo albums from the 1990s and personal documents. Her son barely knew her; she lost custody when he was four. Years later, he begins to look at the images and read their final emails. The work combines this material with new photographs – an approach to a mother who was rarely there and yet remains present.
Jan Jasper Klein | Hinter den Fassaden
A Berlin neighborhood consisting of a residential area and park. The striking high-rise buildings and ‚Plattenbauten‘ are familiar to many, as is the imposing monument. However, a glance behind the facades of this initially inhospitable-looking place reveals hidden, less obvious, and personal views that make this small microcosm seem almost like a dream world.
David Nils Müller – SÖHNE
SÖHNE (engl. SONS) examines the fluid transitions between staged self-presentation and authenticity in male identity. In doing so, the project addresses a conflict that can be found in similar ways in photography: the question of authenticity.
Aaron Leithäuser | While We Are Still Here
Many western societies are aging and shrinking at the same time. This brings many challenges with it and encourages us to seek new approaches on how older people find their place in society. How different can the reality of live be like as an elderly person? What decisions do these people make regarding their living situation? Another aspect is the degree of self-determination. How much freedom can you retain if you are dependent on help from other people around you? A group of people from „Lebenstraum Lebensgemeinschaft Jahnishausen“ have decided to spend the rest of their lives together.
Katharina Gugerell | Sanctum
Sanctum is a photographic exploration of landscapes in transition. The work examines nature’s intricate cycles of regeneration and the prospect of irreparable transformation. It juxtaposes thriving, resilient terrains with those already bearing the marks of climate change in the Anthropocene, illuminating both the vulnerability and defiant strength of the natural world. Born from a profound awe for the Earth’s striking beauty, this project is guided by a deep sense of responsibility: a commitment to protect and preserve these landscapes so they may endure long beyond our time.
Constanze Vielgosz | Adieu mon amour
In the work adieu mon amour, unrequited love becomes an otherworldly obsession and an escape from reality, which is experienced as uncontrollable.
Framework program
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Thursday, Mar 19, 2026, 7 pm
Opening reception
Exhibition venue
Kunstquartier Bethanien | Studio 1
Mariannenplatz 2 · 10997 Berlin
Opening hours for this exhibition: Fri – Sun, 12 noon – 8 pm
Admission: free
