6 photographers in 'self-discovery' journey

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 28, 2016

Curator Susan Wang (2nd, L) speaks at the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Voices" at the TAN Gallery in 751 D-Park, Beijing, Sept. 24, 2016. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

"Voices," an exhibition of six photographers' works themed on home are on display in Beijing in what their curator calls "a journey of self-discovery."

"This exhibition plays around the themes of home, homeland, nostalgia and home coming. Most of the photographers travel afar to search and observe other people's life or search for their own roots," explained curator Susan Wang at the opening ceremony on Saturday.

Photographic works from the exhibition have been exhibited in Switzerland, France and Germany. Some of them have won awards and much acclaim. For more than one year, the six photographers have delved deep into the tangled roots of global, social or simply personal issues, which is now resulting in a unique tableau alternating between a social study documentary and art photography.

In her work "Privet Germania," Ira Thiessen enters the homes of a Russian German migrant group. Some 250 years ago, these German moved to Russia and their descendants have now moved back to Germany, where, however, they remain outsiders. Thiessen put them in familiar family setting, but creates a somewhat surreal affect.

In her series "Will-o'-the-wisp," Yana Wenicke shows a place where Serbian ancient customs and traditions are kept alive and old myths and legends revived. She shows a Serbian group living in German. People preserve the same customs, language, festivals, religious rituals through generations in order to keep their identity while coping with an ever-changing outside modern world.

Johanna-Maria Fritz explores elements of reality and unites them in a new image, her own image. Whenever she visualizes artists of a circus in Iceland, she not only captures them training or performing, but foremost in the impressive wilderness of the vast land.

She spent two years with circuses. This Iceland circus started by Lee, an Australia acrobat who used to teach foot standing and then saw the class grow into a professional circus. Lee was a depressed clown back home, but found a new life in Iceland and also brought happiness to this country where no year-long circus had existed in the past. People travel miles to see their performance. Lee has found his peace and home here.

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