Die KUNSTHALLE ERFURT präsentiert eine Doppelschau von Julian Röder und Robert Capa im Rahmen von CC - Classic Contemporary.
Den inhaltlichen Ansatz der Ausstellung von Capa und Röder bilden sozial-politische Transformationsprozesse und besonders "Konflikt und Krieg" als deren Katalysatoren oder Folgen. Die Erfurter Doppelausstellung ist gleichzeitig die erste größere Werkschau des jungen Künstlers (geb. 1981 in Erfurt).
Auch Magnum-Mitbegründer und Fotolegende Robert Capa (1913–1954) hat sich für die politischen und militärischen Auseinandersetzungen seiner Mitmenschen interessiert.

As part of its photo exhibition series CC – Classic Contemporary, KUNSTHALLE ERFURT presents a two-person exhibition of works by Julian Röder (*1981) and Robert Capa (1913–1954). Both photographers focus on such themes as “socio-political processes of change” in which “conflict and war” serve as the catalysts or consequences of these processes.
Like Capa, Julian Röder is not only fascinated with the (potential) violence or military engagement, but rather the tensions of human interaction and co-existence which precede these.
As part of its CC – Classic Contemporary series at KUNSTHALLE ERFURT, this two-person exhibition includes almost all of Julian Röder’s past photo series.

Julian Röder - Robert [Endre Ernö Friedmann] Capa -
Curator Silke Opitz -

Steve McCurry is recognized as one of the world’s finest photographers and during his career he has covered many international and civil conflicts, particularly within the regions of Asia and the Middle East. He took the first photographs from the 1979 Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, which were published in the New York Times, Time Magazine and Geo. McCurry documents the wounds of war, disappearing cultures and their traditions, the consequences of globalization and changes to the fabric of life. The now iconic image of the Afghan girl Sharbat Gula taken in a refugee camp in Pakistan appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 and became instantly a symbol both of the Afghan conflict and of the refugee situation worldwide. McCurry has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986, the famed agency founded among others by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa in 1947.

   Many of McCurry’s later photographs have also become modern icons, each with a story to tell. Best known for his evocative color images, his photographs are unique street portraits that reveal the universality of the human condition, finding the beautiful in daily experiences. “The thing I want people to take away from my work is this human connection between all of us … There’s a kind of commonality between all of us. Despite our religion, language or ethnicity, we’re all basically the same”, says Steve McCurry. He sees himself as a traveler who contemplates the facets of human existence in his work. 

Steve McCurry -

The exhibition represents a new presentation format, called “CC - Classic Contemporary”, initiated by the Kunsthalle Erfurt.
The exhibition series will kick off with a presentation of works by Gisèle Freund (1908-2000) and Jessica Backhaus (*1970). The two artists met for the first time in Paris in 1992. For Backhaus, it was an encounter of great significance - and not only as a photographer. A special friendship developed between Backhaus, a student at the time, and Freund, the grande dame of photography. Even after the younger photographer moved to New York in 1995, the two remained in regular contact until Freund passed away in 2000.
In honour of the 100th anniversary of Freund´s birthday in 2008, Backhaus dedicated a photo series to her esteemed mentor and friend titled “One Day in November” (2005-2008). The series was not so much a classical hommage as it was a quiet, especially poetic gift of photography. Backhaus, who deeply respected and admired Freund, never dared to show any of her works to Freund while she was alive - apart from one photo.
In addition to the group of works dedicated to Freund, the Kunsthalle Erfurt will also present other photo series by Jessica Backhaus. The exhibition includes works by Gisèle Freund, chosen by Backhaus together with curator Silke Opitz.
The Kunsthalle Erfurt is especially grateful for the numerous loans provided by the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the IMEC Archives in Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe.

Jessica Backhaus - Gisèle Freund -
Curator Silke Opitz -

With her gift for delicate, empathic observation, Olga Chernysheva discovers art in the everyday. Her multimedia works tell of simple, yet wondrous people and things. Chernysheva’s work represents a new kind of realism that does not feed on a critical, subversive attitude, but is characterized by an awareness of compossibility. This relational concept, devised by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, holds that different statements, viewpoints, patterns of thought, and substances are compossible, meaning that it is possible for them to coexist in reality. Although not everything that can be imagined or conceived bears this potential, the real, extant world is the site or embodiment of the compossible. As such, it is also the inexhaustible source of Chernysheva’s art.
In cooperation with the V-A-C Foundation Moscow, the Kunsthalle Erfurt is proud to present this major solo exhibition of Chernysheva’s works for the first time in Germany. In addition to aquarelles, drawings and paintings from recent years, the exhibition also includes photos and numerous videos, as well as several new works, which will be presented for the first time.
The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive catalogue (German-English), published by Hatje Cantz Verlag.

Olga Chernysheva -
Curator Silke Opitz -