Exhibition information
Dirk Reinartz. In Honor
A series of exhbitions
November 10 - December 9, 2006
Bismarck
Bismarck in America
December 13, 2006 – January 13, 2007
Deutschland durch die Bank
Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch
April 20 - May 19, 2007
Kein schöner Land
Innere Angelegenheiten
May 23 - June 27, 2007
Portraits
Künstlerportraits
September 15 - October 13, 2007
New York, 1974
October 17 - November 24, 2007
Richard Serra – Skulpturen
November 30, 2007 – January 27, 2008
deathly still
The exhibition “Dirk Reinartz. Bismarck – Bismarck in America” in the photography gallery at Galerie m Bochum kicks off an extensive series of exhibits dedicated to the work of photographer Dirk Reinartz.
As photographer/author, Reinartz published several books with Steidl Verlag, photographs from which Galerie m Bochum will now be displaying in individual shows. Reinartz rose to international prominence with a chilling cycle of photographs of former concentration camps, under the title “deathly still.” An exhibition of selected works from this imposing series, which also wraps up the schedule of shows in Reinartz’ honor, will end on January 27, 2008 – the anniversary of the day Auschwitz was liberated.
Born in 1947 in Aachen (d. 2004), Dirk Reinartz first studied photography under Otto Steinert at the Folkwang School in Essen, before launching his career in 1971 as the youngest photographic reporter at Stern magazine.
In 1977 he joined the photographers’ collective VISUM, which he left again in 1982 in order to work independently. His work revolved mainly around social themes as well as portraits of artists, and was published in all of the major magazines, including Life, Der Spiegel, SZ-Magazin, Zeit-Magazin and Art.
Reinartz began compiling his photographs into books in 1985 and published several volumes of work. A key focus of his photographic oeuvre was an exploration of Germany in its many facets. His work with Richard Serra, whose worldwide sculptural projects he documented, resulted in several impressive books on Serra’s work. In his final years, Reinartz taught photography at the Muthesius University in Kiel.
Kein schöner Land The photographs in the series Kein schöner Land were taken from 1978 to 1987. In the book of the same name, published in 1989, Norbert Klugmann describes the “public devastation of the Federal Republic of Germany,” which bestows on us the “view of desolate houses and gardens” and that we can only bear because we have learned to simply ignore it. This “cold, brutal architectural anti-culture” is omnipresent in the black-and-white photographs of Dirk Reinartz. He documents here an evident “fear of the anarchy of green foliage” marked by urban development measures that seem to arise from a deep-seated need for control and order.
Innere Angelegenheiten This stocktaking, which Reinartz continued later in color in his series Innere Angelegenheiten (1989-2002), offers us new insights into the world around us while also taking a clear stand on the situation. Reinartz saw his photography as a tool and medium for reflecting on reality.
Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch (um 1980)
The photo book Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch was published in 1990. On display at Galerie m are photographs from the report Von Tür zu Tür im Hochhaus. Porträt eines Wohnbunkers, a very personal exploration of subsidized housing on the outskirts of a big German city.
Deutschland durch die Bank (1992-1996)
Deutschland durch die Bank is a sometimes bizarre and whimsical look at the culture of public sitting in Germany. Just as in his other projects, Reinartz manages with his photographs of benches and other seating options to sharpen our awareness of an object that we otherwise take for granted as part of our everyday world.
Bismarck (1989-1991)
Otto von Bismarck dominates the public realm in Germany like no other statesman. Almost every city boasts a monument to the unifier of Germany, usually over life-size and placed prominently in the city center, most of which were erected in the 19th century. In the meantime, these cityscapes have undergone fundamental transformations. Dirk Reinartz succeeds in subtly conveying the interplay between each monument and its surroundings. In some towns, these testaments to Germany’s past seem out of place, even ludicrous. This disjuncture often results in an alienation of the object, the loss of its meaning as symbol in today’s consciousness. In this sense, these photographs can serve as a springboard for reflecting on how we handle our cultural heritage in the public space.
Bismarck in America (1998)
Numerous streets and public buildings have been named after Otto von Bismarck. This includes a city in the northwestern USA, which Dirk Reinartz noticed on weather maps shown on American TV. Reinartz used the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Otto von Bismarck’s death to visit and photograph the city that bears his name, accompanied by author Wolfram Runkel. The resulting photos, published in 2000 in a book titled Bismarck in America, show a typical American small town in which there is no monument to the Prussian politician, but where his name is omnipresent. Dirk Reinartz does without any spectacular motifs or artificially staged tableaux, approaching his subject instead with the attitude of a curious passer-by, patiently exploring his surroundings. With his carefully selected framing of the image and the order imposed on each composition, Reinartz manages to capture the essence of this American town in an inimitable fashion. Beyond this, it is the eye-catching details within the overall picture that make for the special appeal of this series. September 15 - October 13, 2007
New York, 1974
October 17 - November 24, 2007
Richard Serra – Skulpturen
November 30, 2007 – January 27, 2008
deathly still
November 10 - December 9, 2006
Bismarck
Bismarck in America
December 13, 2006 – January 13, 2007
Deutschland durch die Bank
Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch
April 20 - May 19, 2007
Kein schöner Land
Innere Angelegenheiten
May 23 - June 27, 2007
Portraits
Künstlerportraits
September 15 - October 13, 2007
New York, 1974
October 17 - November 24, 2007
Richard Serra – Skulpturen
November 30, 2007 – January 27, 2008
deathly still
The exhibition “Dirk Reinartz. Bismarck – Bismarck in America” in the photography gallery at Galerie m Bochum kicks off an extensive series of exhibits dedicated to the work of photographer Dirk Reinartz.
As photographer/author, Reinartz published several books with Steidl Verlag, photographs from which Galerie m Bochum will now be displaying in individual shows. Reinartz rose to international prominence with a chilling cycle of photographs of former concentration camps, under the title “deathly still.” An exhibition of selected works from this imposing series, which also wraps up the schedule of shows in Reinartz’ honor, will end on January 27, 2008 – the anniversary of the day Auschwitz was liberated.
Born in 1947 in Aachen (d. 2004), Dirk Reinartz first studied photography under Otto Steinert at the Folkwang School in Essen, before launching his career in 1971 as the youngest photographic reporter at Stern magazine.
In 1977 he joined the photographers’ collective VISUM, which he left again in 1982 in order to work independently. His work revolved mainly around social themes as well as portraits of artists, and was published in all of the major magazines, including Life, Der Spiegel, SZ-Magazin, Zeit-Magazin and Art.
Reinartz began compiling his photographs into books in 1985 and published several volumes of work. A key focus of his photographic oeuvre was an exploration of Germany in its many facets. His work with Richard Serra, whose worldwide sculptural projects he documented, resulted in several impressive books on Serra’s work. In his final years, Reinartz taught photography at the Muthesius University in Kiel.
Kein schöner Land The photographs in the series Kein schöner Land were taken from 1978 to 1987. In the book of the same name, published in 1989, Norbert Klugmann describes the “public devastation of the Federal Republic of Germany,” which bestows on us the “view of desolate houses and gardens” and that we can only bear because we have learned to simply ignore it. This “cold, brutal architectural anti-culture” is omnipresent in the black-and-white photographs of Dirk Reinartz. He documents here an evident “fear of the anarchy of green foliage” marked by urban development measures that seem to arise from a deep-seated need for control and order.
Innere Angelegenheiten This stocktaking, which Reinartz continued later in color in his series Innere Angelegenheiten (1989-2002), offers us new insights into the world around us while also taking a clear stand on the situation. Reinartz saw his photography as a tool and medium for reflecting on reality.
Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch (um 1980)
The photo book Besonderes Kennzeichen: Deutsch was published in 1990. On display at Galerie m are photographs from the report Von Tür zu Tür im Hochhaus. Porträt eines Wohnbunkers, a very personal exploration of subsidized housing on the outskirts of a big German city.
Deutschland durch die Bank (1992-1996)
Deutschland durch die Bank is a sometimes bizarre and whimsical look at the culture of public sitting in Germany. Just as in his other projects, Reinartz manages with his photographs of benches and other seating options to sharpen our awareness of an object that we otherwise take for granted as part of our everyday world.
Bismarck (1989-1991)
Otto von Bismarck dominates the public realm in Germany like no other statesman. Almost every city boasts a monument to the unifier of Germany, usually over life-size and placed prominently in the city center, most of which were erected in the 19th century. In the meantime, these cityscapes have undergone fundamental transformations. Dirk Reinartz succeeds in subtly conveying the interplay between each monument and its surroundings. In some towns, these testaments to Germany’s past seem out of place, even ludicrous. This disjuncture often results in an alienation of the object, the loss of its meaning as symbol in today’s consciousness. In this sense, these photographs can serve as a springboard for reflecting on how we handle our cultural heritage in the public space.
Bismarck in America (1998)
Numerous streets and public buildings have been named after Otto von Bismarck. This includes a city in the northwestern USA, which Dirk Reinartz noticed on weather maps shown on American TV. Reinartz used the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Otto von Bismarck’s death to visit and photograph the city that bears his name, accompanied by author Wolfram Runkel. The resulting photos, published in 2000 in a book titled Bismarck in America, show a typical American small town in which there is no monument to the Prussian politician, but where his name is omnipresent. Dirk Reinartz does without any spectacular motifs or artificially staged tableaux, approaching his subject instead with the attitude of a curious passer-by, patiently exploring his surroundings. With his carefully selected framing of the image and the order imposed on each composition, Reinartz manages to capture the essence of this American town in an inimitable fashion. Beyond this, it is the eye-catching details within the overall picture that make for the special appeal of this series. September 15 - October 13, 2007
New York, 1974
October 17 - November 24, 2007
Richard Serra – Skulpturen
November 30, 2007 – January 27, 2008
deathly still
Afangar, 1991