A photographic journey through Germany
Magnum photographers Olivia Arthur, Paolo Pellegrin, Moises Saman and Peter van Agtmael traveled through Germany to collect their poignant and painfully honest impressions. Their photos are on show at the Deutsche Börse.
Crazy Karneval
Four photographers from the international cooperative, Magnum, traveled through Germany last year to capture their impressions. British photographer Olivia Arthur had spent some time in the Rhineland as a child, and she headed back in 2013 to experience the Carnival celebrations. This blue bodysuit is just one example of the wild and extravagant costumes that can be found there during Carnival.
Circles of snow
Olivia Arthur sees poetic moments in the most banal locations - like this bench along the Rhine River, photographed with a unique color process. The 33-year-old photographer lives in London but travels regularly around the world on photo assignments. She recently published a photography volume on young women in Saudi Arabia, entitled "Jeddah Diary."
On the Rhine in Bonn
It's not the first time that Magnum photographers have worked together to assemble a comprehensive look at a particular location. They've also portrayed Rochester, New York, where Kodak's headquarters are located, and that's how they came up with the idea to put together a photographic portrait of Germany. Some 400 pictures are now on display at the Deutsche Börse in Eschborn, near Frankfurt.
Idyll meets reality
Italian photographer Paolo Pellegrin was part of the Magnum group in Rochester. While on the Germany tour, he took a number of photos in Berlin. This shot from the bank of the River Spree is reminiscent of Henri Matisse's Impressionist painting, "Bathers by a River" - except that the bottle collector disturbs the supposed idyll.
Berlin skies
The Quadriga atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is a timeless landmark in the capital. The rays of sun lend the scene a dreary undertone. Paolo Pellegrin, 50, normally works as a photojournalist in crisis regions, like Kosovo, Darfur and Lebanon. He regularly photographs Germany's people and natural surroundings for the weekly German magazine, Die Zeit.
Nature versus culture
Pellegrin also made his way to the brown coal mine in Welzow, located in the easternmost corner of Germany. There, giant machines like this bucket excavator corrugate the landscape. Pellegrin neither sugarcoats what he sees, nor does he convey opinions. He simply documents the moment.
Burst of color
American photographer Peter van Agtmael has a history degree from Yale University. His photos of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and in crisis regions like Iraq and Afghanistan earned him the prestigious World Press Photo Award. This photograph was taken near the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Dignity in close quarters
Peter van Agtmael has relatives in Stuttgart and focused his Germany tour on the southern portion of the country: Frankfrut, Ruhpolding, Stuttgart, and Dachau. He also visited a home for asylum-seekers in Wurzburg. He portrayed people making an effort to maintain a piece of their humanity, despite the dire circumstances.
The difference a number can make
In Frankfurt, von Agtmael was able to take photos inside the Börse - the stock exchange. There, digits indicating the success of the international financial market change by the second. The school group that's observing the busy scene from a distance seems out of place, as if they were pasted into the picture.
Northern storms
Slanting trees and deserted areas are what Moises Saman found on the north-eastern German island of Rügen. The Peruvian native focused on the northern regions of the country on his Germany tour. Here, the trees resemble last survivors that have managed to withstand the storms in this merciless and naked landscape.
Hamburg docks
Black-and-white photos are typical for Saiman. The 40-year-old photographer, who lives in Cairo and New York, works for the New York Times, Human Rights Watch and Newsweek. The exhibition "Deutschlandreise" (Journey through Germany) runs through April 30 in the Art Collection at the Deutsche Börse in Eschborn.