C/O Berlin presents the exhibition Harald Hauswald . Voll das Leben! Reloaded from December 11, 2021 to April 21, 2022. The opening is on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 8 pm, at C/O Berlin in Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstraße 22–24, 10623 Berlin. Attendees must be fully vaccinated or show proof of recovery from Covid.

Colorful punks, hippies, and kissing couples in a sea of Trabi cars, flapping flags carried by demonstrators at Alexanderplatz in East Berlin, tipsy drinkers at their local pubs and law-abiding citizens waiting patiently at bus stops: Harald Hauswald’s gaze is authentic and tender. His images radiate a sympathy for the objects and people he photographs, preserving their dignity and setting them apart from the surrounding decay.

In contrast to the West’s prevalent images of East Germany as a country defined by the Communist party, the Berlin Wall, and military parades, Hauswald’s photographs offer a unique and revealing insight into everyday life under communism, showing the evolving cityscape of East Berlin. He also documented the activities of opposition groups, of which he was both an observer and a participant. This led to his being placed under surveillance by around forty Stasi informers. In 1985, the Stasi issued an internal warrant for Hauswald’s arrest on the grounds of anti-state activities, violating exchange-control regulations, and passing on unclassified information. The contents of his Stasi file are woven into the exhibition, which allows for a dialog between historical documents, photographs, and Hauswald’s artistic work.

As a co-founder of the photographers’ agency OSTKREUZ, Hauswald is one of the most important figures in German photography. In recent years, over 7,500 of his negatives have been conserved and digitalized by the Ostkreuz Association for Photography, supported by a major grant from the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in East Germany. The images shown in Harald Hauswald . Voll das Leben! Reloaded are invaluable as visual documents of East and West German history. Due to popular demand, C/O Berlin is once again showing the exhibition, which showcases approximately 250 photographs taken between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s.

Harald Hauswald . Voll das Leben! Reloaded is curated by Felix Hoffman (C/O Berlin Foundation) in collaboration with Ute Mahler and Laura Benz (OSTKREUZ – Agentur der Fotografen). An exhibition catalog is available from Steidl Verlag.

Harald Hauswald (b. 1954 in Radebeul, Saxony) is one of the most eminent East German photographers. Together with Sibylle Bergemann, Ute Mahler, Werner Mahler, and others, he founded OSTKREUZ – Agentur der Fotografen, a photographer-run agency. After completing a traineeship to become a photographer, Hauswald moved to East Berlin in 1978, where he worked as a telegram carrier in Prenzlauer Berg and for the Stephanus Foundation, among other jobs. From the early 1980s, he regularly published photo-essays in West German periodicals including GEO, Stern, Zitty, and taz, at first using a pseudonym and later under his own name. His work has been shown in over 250 solo exhibitions across Germany, the United States, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and elsewhere, and has been published in diverse publications on East Berlin and everyday life in the GDR. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1997) and the Einheitspreis – Bürgerpreis zur Deutschen Einheit (Citizens’ Award for German Unity, 2006). Harald Hauswald lives and works in Berlin.

Framework program

Accompanying events for this exhibition will be announced here in time. Also feel free to sign up for PiB’s free, weekly E-Newsletter for upcoming events & highlights!

Friday, Dec 10, 2021, 8 pm
Opening Reception
C/O Berlin is delighted to invite you to the opening of the exhibitions »Harald Hauswald . Voll das Leben! . Reloaded«, »Songs of the Sky . Photography & the Cloud« and the C/O Berlin Talent Award 2021 exhibition »Adji Dieye . Culture Lost and Learned by Heart« on Friday, Dec 10, 2021 at 8 pm. The number of people allowed in the exhibition rooms is limited due to current Covid regulations. Visitors must show proof of vaccination status, a current test, or proof of recovery, which may lead to a short wait. Please check in using the Luca or Corona Warn app when entering. We would also like to request that you limit your stay to about 60 minutes so that others may visit the exhibition opening.

Thursday, Feb 10, 2022, 6 – 7:30 pm
Special Guided Tour
»OSTBERLIN, DIE ANDERE SEITE EINER STADT«
With Harald Hauswald and Lutz Rathenow, moderated by Felix Hoffmann, Chief Curator. Held in German.
Details

Thursday, Feb 17, 2022, 7 – 9 pm
AFTER WORK TOUR + DRINK
Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye
Held in German.
Details

Wednesday, Mar 9, 2022, 7 – 9 pm
AFTER WORK TOUR + DRINK
Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye
Held in German.
Details

Thursday, Mar 24, 2022, 6 – 8 pm
Lecture & Discussion
»A CHILDHOOD IN THE GDR AND ITS CONSEQUENCES«
With Anne Hauswald (Daughter of Harald Hauswald) and Harald Hauswald (Photographer). Moderated by Felix Hoffmann (Chief Curator C/O Berlin Foundation). Held in German.
Details

Wednesday, Apr 6, 2022, 7 – 9 pm
AFTER WORK TOUR + DRINK
Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye
Held in German.
Details

Good Friday, Apr 15, 2022, 2 – 3 pm
»HOLIDAY TOUR THROUGH OUR EXHIBITIONS«
Spend time together with your loved ones on a guided tour of our current exhibitions, Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye. During the holidays we offer additional dates for public tours. Held in German.
Details

Easter Monday, Apr 18, 2022, 2 – 3 pm
»HOLIDAY TOUR THROUGH OUR EXHIBITIONS«
Spend time together with your loved ones on a guided tour of our current exhibitions, Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye. During the holidays we offer additional dates for public tours. Held in German.
Details

Guided Tours
Public Guided Tours: Saturdays & Sundays at 2 pm (held in German).
Individual Guided Tours (held in English and other languages)
 as well as Guided Tours for classes
 can be booked as well.
Details

Thursday, Apr 21, 2022, 8 – 10 pm
CLOSING NIGHT
Songs of the Sky . Harald Hauswald . Adji Dieye
Extended opening hours until 10 pm, 2 guided tours at 8 & 9 pm, plus our café partner Barkin’Kitchen is offering an exquisite and unforgettable wine experience together with the sommeliers from Serious Drinking.
Details

View all events at C/O Berlin

Dec 11, 2021 — Apr 21, 2022
Opening Reception: Friday, Dec 10, 2021, 8 pm
+ Framework program: please see above

C/O Berlin Foundation

Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstraße 22-24, 10623 Berlin
[District: Charlottenburg | Borough: Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf]

Opening hours: Daily 11 am – 8 pm

Admission: 10 € / reduced 6 € | Online Ticket