A different angle on the present
With its talents competition C/O Berlin offers a unique platform for positions among young photo artists
If there are hundreds queueing outside Berlin’s Amerika Haus, then not because there’s a concert on. C/O Berlin now resides where once US culture was showcased. The name C/O may reflect a lack of permanent address, but now one of the most important German exhibition galleries for contemporary photography finally has a fixed abode. It was founded back in 2000 outside of all institutional structures – by photographer Stephan Erfurt, designer Marc Naroska and architect Ingo Pott. At its first home at Altes Postfuhramt in Berlin’s Mitte district its success came from shows with international photographic icons such as Annie Leibovitz or Robert Mapplethorpe. An investor then bought the high-profile premises, and so the gallery slumbered for two years – and has now woken again amidst much hype. Since the re-opening in October 2014 the public has been racing to see whatever is on show here. In the exhibition hall, which dates from the 1950s, scene stars have also put in an appearance, for example in summer 2015 it was Brazilian Sebastião Salgado with his monumental nature photographs, and as of November it will be the turn of Dutch star portrait photographer Anton Corbijn.
Up-and-coming photo artists benefit from blockbuster shows such as these. Because back in 2006 C/O Berlin set up its “Talents” competition: Each year a new, international specialist jury selects four young photographers who have a unique take on the present. With the themes it chooses, the competition responds to the latest trends in photo art and provides a visible platform for these. It’s an unprecedented programme in Europe. To be chosen as one of the Talents puts you in the limelight and can definitely boost your career. For example, in 2007 it was Tobias Zielony who was one of the winners of the international competition – today he is one of the artists who featured in the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. After the exhibition in Berlin many talents sally forth into the world – thanks to a joint venture with Goethe-Institut. Until mid-November, works by Emanuel Mathias and Iveta Vaivode will be on view in Mexico. They both address the subject of memory.
What role the medium plays in our memories is a question many young photographers ask themselves. It was for many years the key theme in the competition. In the form of “Extended Photography”, curator Ann-Christin Bertrand chose an equally topical subject for the 2015 competition and one that drives photography today: Many young talents are breaking through the medium’s traditional boundaries and absorbing formats such as painting, installations or performance. Since its digitalisation, the medium has become more flexible and fluid, Bertrand suggests. From among the 300 entries, the jury was persuaded by the positions taken by Karolin Back, Sasha Kurmaz, Bianca Pedrina and Maja Wirkus. Karolin Back alienates existing themes in order to create new images. Sasha Kurmaz’ work tends to consist of snapshots or interventions in public space. Bianca Pedrina addresses photography’s claim to represent truth. Maja Wirkus also explores the relationship of image and representation. Remember these names. It may well be that you’ll come across them again, in Germany or elsewhere worldwide. ▪
