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PiB Guide Nº50 SEP/OCT 2023

A6 format · 28 pages · English & German

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PiB Guide Nº50 SEP/OCT 2023 © PiB (Photography in Berlin). COVER PHOTO: From the series “Contrapasso” © Massimiliano Corteselli. Group show »Jahrgang S1EB7EHN« by Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie at Konnekt.Berlin in Berlin-Marzahn, read more on page 4 & 5! +++ 4 photos on right double page spread (p. 5), from top left to bottom right: 1) »…it's easier for me like that…« © Giulia Thinnes. 2) NBSW © Meret Eberl. 3) Contrapasso © Massimiliano Corteselli. 4) Unter Bäumen © Ania Sudbin. +++ Photo on bottom double-page spread (p. 15): René and Georgette Magritte with their dog, 1967, silver gelatin print, 40 × 40 cm © Lothar Wolleh Estate, Berlin. Solo show at Lothar Wolleh Raum, Berlin-Mitte. +++ PiB Guide Editor / V.i.S.d.P. / Art Direction: Julia Schiller @julia.schiller_ · ele studio berlin · www.ele-studio.de +++ Printed on 100% recycling paper in Berlin-Köpenick by altmann-druck, many thanks!

Solo Exhibition

»Fred Koch. Nature Photography of the 1920s and ‘30s«

Fred Koch

How marvelous even the minutest crystal appears when properly illuminated and enlarged […] Koch is a pioneer who opens up an entirely new world for us, not one scientifically true-to-life, because things don’t look this wonderous in reality; but artistically wonderous.”
– Adolf Herz (1931).

Fred Koch (1904–47) counts as one of the most important photographers of the Weimar Republic. His black-and-white, New Objectivity-style photographs mainly feature detailed images of plants and crystals, but also frost formations, corals, conchylia, insects, as well as X-ray images.

Koch had fallen into obscurity given the anonymity of his published works, his turn toward press photography, and his untimely death. Now, thanks to extensive research and attributions, his work can be discovered in an extensive solo exhibition organized by the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung showcasing around 100 works from the 1920s to 1930s. His passion for natural forms unites him with Alfred Ehrhardt (1901–84), for whom Koch’s crystal photographs were a source of inspiration. Friends of the photo aesthetics of Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932), Aenne Biermann (1898–1933), Albert Renger-Patzsch (1897–1966), or Alfred Ehrhardt will be richly rewarded.

The Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung has focused on Fred Koch’s work since 2004. That his photographs of crystals and minerals far surpass in quality the photos of the great New Objectivity master Albert Renger-Patzsch was clearly documented in the earlier exhibition Lebendiger Kristall (2004). Koch was introduced to photography in 1922–23 by Renger-Patzsch, then manager of the Folkwang-Verlag image archive of author and publisher Ernst Fuhrmann (1886–1956), for whom he was producing enlarged images of plants. These photographs of plants mark the beginnings of New Objectivity photography. Koch succeeded Renger in 1928 and expanded the plant photo archive, which was featured in Fuhrmann’s publication Die Pflanze als Lebewesen. Eine Biographie in 200 Aufnahmen.

Fred Koch brings out the floral beauty, grace, and splendor of plants, thereby maximizing the stylistic means of New Objectivity photography. The plants are viewed frontally, photographed from below, dramatized with pinpointed lighting to a surreal, alienated degree and abstracted with extreme cropping. Koch made use of light reflections and powerful shadows to underscore the three-dimensionality of plants in a dramatic, almost theatrical manner. The other grand master of modern photography, Karl Blossfeldt, also shot his plants in a rather sober, matter-of-fact, and austere manner; Koch, by contrast, presents the plants like portraits. In his intensive examination of Ernst Fuhrmann’s “biosophy,” Fred Koch develops an unparalleled, distinct style all his own. Fuhrmann’s organic-ecological thinking around the interconnections between human and plant life-processes is based on the animalistic function of the plant as a demonic and sexualized living being. In his texts and image captions, he compares parts of plants to flesh, bones, hands, musculature, and sexual and sensory organs. Taking up Fuhrmann’s ideas, Koch’s depictions deliberately evoke sexual associations and connotations, and thus emphasize the “vitality of plants” more pointedly than any other photographer of his time. In 1931, author Will Vesper extolled Fred Koch’s “masterly photographs of plants depicting the fantastic structure of these living beings as if under a magnifying glass […]. It’s like watching plants move, form, rejoice, fight, conquer, suffer, and die, like living beings, which they are.”

Koch was a tireless tinkerer, he designed special cameras for extreme depths of field in macro photography, optimized his equipment and analyzed lighting modalities down to the minutest detail. This differentiates him markedly from others in terms of his photographs of crystals and minerals. In a variety of texts, he reveals technical refinements and tricks to his readers: “With crystals, in addition to their formal and material characteristics, special attention must be paid to how they behave with light.” Koch’s knowledge of the complex spatial structures, strict laws, transparency, and light refraction of crystals, allowed him to bring out the aesthetic qualities of the substance and architectural structure of his subject matter in particularly brilliant fashion. In their richness of detail, clarity, and precision, many of his photographs of crystals surpass those of his contemporaries.

Now Fred Koch’s name can and should find its way into future publications on New Objectivity photography. The Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung dares to take the step towards a real rediscovery.

Curator: Stefanie Odenthal M.A., foundation manager and curator, Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung

Lender: Berlinische Galerie // bpk-Bildagentur, Berlin // LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, photographic collection // STÄDEL MUSEUM, Frankfurt // Stiftung F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg // Die Photographische Sammlung, SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, permanent loan from Rainer Stamm // Ann and Jürgen Wilde Collection, Zülpich // Dr. Hans Schön // Claudia and Rolf Poss Collection // Rainer Stamm Collection // Private collection

A catalog is being published on the occasion of the exhibition Fred Koch. Nature Photography of the 1920s and ‘30s (German/English, texts by Rainer Stamm, Stefanie Odenthal, Snoeck Cologne, 2022).

Fred Koch (1904-1947), Pisum sativum, Erbse, undatiert, Abzug Freundeskreis Ernst Fuhrmann, Silbergelatineabzug, 18,5 × 13,0 cm, Courtesy Sammlung Dr. Hans Schön
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Sarothamnus scoparius. Leguminosae/Besenginster, Blütenausschnitt, um 1929/30, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, 23,0 × 16,8 cm, Courtesy Sammlung Rainer Stamm
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Ohne Titel, undatiert, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, 16,6 × 22,7 cm, Courtesy Sammlung Claudia und Rolf Poss
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Distel-Samen. Compositae - Cirsium lanceolatum, undatiert, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, 22,1 × 16,8 cm, Courtesy Stiftung F.C. Gundlach, Hamburg
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Ampelopsis tricuspidata. Zaunrebe, bis 1930, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, 9,8 × 7,4 cm, bpk-Bildagentur / Fred Koch
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Gips-Kristalle (Eisleben, vergrößert), vor Februar 1931, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, 12,3 × 14,3 cm, bpk-Bildagentur / Fred Koch
Fred Koch (1904-1947), Crassulaceae Sempervivum tabulaeformis, undatiert, 1920er-Jahre, Silbergelatineabzug auf Barytpapier, ca. 24 × 18 cm, Courtesy LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Fotografische Sammlung

Framework program

All events will be held in German. All events are by reservation, in accordance with official requirements. Please register in advance via e-mail.

Friday, January 14, 2022, 7 – 9 pm
Opening Reception

Thu, Jan 20, 6 pm + Sun, Feb 20, 2 pm + Thu, April 7, 2022, 6 pm
Curator’s Guided Tour
Guided tours (held in German) through the exhibition with Stefanie Odenthal M.A.; Registration:

Sunday, March 27, 2022, 2 pm
Slide Lecture
Slide lecture by Stefan Berg (M.A. Design): »Von Bildsprachen und fotografischen Handschriften. Zur Wechselwirkung von Persönlichkeit, fotografischem Ausdruck und der Darstellung von Identität.«Registration:

Curator’s Guided Tour with Stefanie Odenthal M.A.:

Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung / Alfred Ehrhardt Foundation Berlin

Jan 15 — Apr 24, 2022
Opening Reception: Friday, Jan 14, 7 – 9 pm
+ Framework program: please see above

Auguststraße 75, 10117 Berlin
[District: Mitte | Borough: Mitte]

Opening hours: Tue – Sun 11 am – 6 pm

Admission free

Current photography exhibitions/events recommended in…
Berlin | Mitte

KW Institute for Contemporary Art | Coco Fusco »Tomorrow, I Will Become an Island«

KW Institute for Contemporary Art | »SKIN IN THE GAME«

f³ – freiraum für fotografie | Robert Lebeck »Hierzulande (In this Country)«

Alexander und Renata Camaro Stiftung | »Schatten aus Licht. Lothar Wolleh und Alexander Camaro«

CHAUSSEE 36 PHOTO FOUNDATION | »Bildfenster – Fensterbild«

Robert Morat Galerie | Roger Eberhard »Escapism«

PiB Guide Nº50 SEP/OCT 2023 © PiB (Photography in Berlin). COVER PHOTO: From the series “Contrapasso” © Massimiliano Corteselli. Group show »Jahrgang S1EB7EHN« by Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie at Konnekt.Berlin in Berlin-Marzahn, read more on page 4 & 5! +++ 4 photos on right double page spread (p. 5), from top left to bottom right: 1) »…it's easier for me like that…« © Giulia Thinnes. 2) NBSW © Meret Eberl. 3) Contrapasso © Massimiliano Corteselli. 4) Unter Bäumen © Ania Sudbin. +++ PiB Guide Editor / V.i.S.d.P. / Art Direction: Julia Schiller @julia.schiller_ · ele studio berlin · www.ele-studio.de +++ Printed on 100% recycling paper in Berlin-Köpenick by altmann-druck, many thanks!

PiB’s current print issue
PiB Guide Nº50
SEP/OCT 2023

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Discover great photography exhibitions/events in Berlin in PiB’s bi-monthly print issue, the PiB Guide. The PiB Guide Nº50 SEP/OCT 2023 has been published as a booklet, A6 format · 28 pages · English & German · worldwide shipping.

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»PiB — Photography in Berlin« | PiB’s website, PiB’s weekly E-Newsletter, and the bi-monthly published PiB Guide: page 12 & 13 from the PiB Guide Nº15 Nov/Dec 2017; feat. the exhibition Evelyn Hofer »Cities, Interiors, Still Lifes. Photographs 1962 – 1997« at Galerie Springer Berlin; image credits: Queensboro Bridge, New York, 1964 / Coney Island, New York, 1965 / Girl with Bicycle, Dublin, 1966, all 3 photos © Evelyn Hofer, Estate Evelyn Hofer.
»PiB — Photography in Berlin« | PiB’s website, PiB’s weekly E-Newsletter, and the bi-monthly published PiB Guide: page 12 & 13 from the PiB Guide Nº15 Nov/Dec 2017; feat. the exhibition Evelyn Hofer »Cities, Interiors, Still Lifes. Photographs 1962 – 1997« at Galerie Springer Berlin; image credits: Queensboro Bridge, New York, 1964 / Coney Island, New York, 1965 / Girl with Bicycle, Dublin, 1966, all 3 photos © Evelyn Hofer, Estate Evelyn Hofer.

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