Friederike von Rauch
dal 15/3/2007 al 20/4/2007
Segnalato da
Fifty one Fine Art Photography
15/3/2007
Friederike von Rauch
Fifty One Fine Art Photography, Antwerp
Brussels' shows a series of photographs of the European capital as she experienced the city during a three-month stay. As a photographer von Rauch is clearly attracted to spaces. These spaces have to be empty, because that is when, to her, their beauty is best appreciated.
Brussels
Fifty One Fine Art Photography proudly presents Brussels' an exhibition of
the German photographer Friederike von Rauch. Brussels' shows a series of
photographs of the European capital as she experienced the city during a
three-month stay.
Friederike von Rauch photographs buildings. A complete building or merely a
detail. The building on its own, or within its surroundings. The interior or
the exterior. Her photographs are meticulously stylized. The framing and
the angle are chosen with care. There is also a clear play of lines and
sometimes a striking contrast between the concrete-grey planes and vibrant
color.
To many her photographs seem to belong in the tradition of the work of the
famous German couple Bernd and Hilla Becher. As they photographed industrial
architecture from the start of their career in 1957
According to Friederike von Rauch there is no comparison between her work
and that of the Bechers¹. They registered and archived an industrial area
that decayed right in front of them. Friederike is not concerned with that
documentary value. She describes herself as an intuitive photographer. Her
work is not so much about buildings. It¹s about spaces. She looks for spots
that to her are exceptional, but that most people walk by without even a
glance.
In her photographs the silence is the first thing that strikes you. The
silence, however, does not equal quiet. There is a tension to the silence.
This tension grows from the absence of people; despite the unbreakable link
between buildings and human beings. Buildings are made by people and are
used by them. The lack of a human presence deprives the buildings of their
functionality. The buildings in her photographs are no longer buildings,
but monumental sculptures.
As a photographer von Rauch is clearly attracted to spaces. These spaces
have to be empty, because that is when, to her, their beauty is best
appreciated. Friederike however does not intervene in the environment;
everything has to stay exactly as it is. So she never asks people to leave
the space when she wants to photograph. That is why there is still a human
presence in her work. The spaces have been abandoned, but there is always
the possibility that someone might show up. This uncertainty makes these
photographs so alien and so exciting at the same time.
Fifty one Fine Art Photography
Zirkstraat 20 - Antwerpen