Fotografische Arbeit

Fotografische Arbeit presents research and work from various projects by the artist Heinz Peter Knes (*1969, Gemünden am Main) and places them into a new relationship with each other. The solo exhibition includes excerpts from Knes' photo archive, film material and text. The photographic process unfurls on the wall: photographs form clusters and are removed from their original context. These new constellations generate an array of formal, social and political narratives. Three stations run through the space, that dissect historical material into individual layers of meaning. The term "Arbeit" (work) also permits us to read this material from the late Gothic period to socialism within the context of political action. Thus Knes depicts ephemera from Hannah Arendt’s archive, examines the photographs as parts of the monument ensemble of the Marx-Engels Forum in Berlin, which tell of the struggles of the working class, and considers Tilman Riemenschneider’s work at the time of the Peasant War. Partly conceived as book projects, this material will be explored in depth for the first time in the context of an exhibition. What are the indicators that determine photographic perception and how are these interpreted? In his collection of material, Knes focuses on the production, display and reading of images and their effects on the collective pictorial memory. Research and process are revealed and photographs are detached from their formal interpretation. These images are themselves at work and function within the realm of objects and processes. Fotografische Arbeit is Knes’ first institutional solo exhibition in Germany. A handout (in German) with a text by the author Dominikus Müller is available onsite and online. Framing History by Dominikus Müller (English translation) The exhibition is accompanied by a collection of digital resources that explore related themes, dialogs and thought processes. Under the title Supplement contributions from various artists and writers will be made accessible via e-mail over the entire duration of the exhibition. In order to receive the e-mails, please sign up here. Supplement with contributions by Julie Ault, Moyra Davey, Gürsoy Doğtaş, Heike-Karin Föll, Simone Gilges and Kristin Loschert, among others.