PiB Guide Nº50 SEP/OCT 2023

The group exhibition »Fragments of War – Pictures from the Ukraine« shows the photographs of Johanna-Maria Fritz, Helena Lea Manhartsberger and Laila Sieber from July 1st to August 21st, 2022 in the Willy-Brandt-Haus. The three photographers made their way to Ukraine at the beginning of the war. They wanted to be there themselves and capture the incomprehensible in pictures: a war of aggression in Europe, an attack on democracy.

In their pictures, they capture fragments of this unbelievable attack: they show the individual fates of those affected and provide insights into their current living environment. Her focus is on showing the very personal experiences and individual fates of those portrayed, as well as snapshots of the last few weeks and months – exemplary for so many tragic stories of suffering and facets of this war. The OSTKREUZ photographer Johanna-Maria Fritz was unfiltered and close to the people for her series “In the garden a grave”. She was there when Bucha’s war crimes became visible, she saw and documented the destruction in Kyiv and Irpin, saw the horror on the streets, the destruction of the war. Her pictures are moving testimonies to the current tragedy. She says about how the photographs were taken: “One day after the liberation, we were almost the first journalists to visit the place in Bucha. People were happy about the end of the occupation, but the wounds of war were still everywhere. Only after the liberation did the residents of Bucha understand the real extent of the terror.”

The series “Where you can hear the silence” by Helena Lea Manhartsberger and Laila Sieber is a sensitive portrait of the first days of the war away from the front line. The two photographers started their journey to western Ukraine together. They met people there who dealt with the new reality in very different ways. Some prepared to flee the country, others to defend their homes and stay. The complexity of the war becomes visible in the confrontation with individual fates. About their series they say: “The silence that can be heard sometimes gets quieter when there is loud laughter in conversation. Then she screams again when worry about relatives who are still on the run leaves you speechless. But she is a constant companion in this war.” The two photographers accompany the fugitives to this day – video messages continue to tell the stories in the exhibition.

About Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus (FkWBH)

Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus was founded in 1996 as a non-profit association. Since the opening of Willy-Brandt-Haus, FkWBH has provided a varied free programme of events at the interface of culture and politics. In addition to the regular exhibitions, readings, discussions and film evenings are also offered to a wide audience.

Thursday, June 30, 2022, 7 pm (Admission from 6:30 pm)
Opening Reception
Admission free | No registration required | ID required
Speakers:
Dietmar Nietan MdB (Vorsitzender Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus)
Tamina Kutscher (Chefredakteurin dekoder.org)
Ingo Taubhorn (Chefkurator Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg)
At the same time we open the exhibition »HOME AGAIN«.

July 1 — Aug 21, 2022
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 30, 2022, 7 pm
+ Framework program: please see above

Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V.

Stresemannstraße 28, 10963 Berlin
[District: Kreuzberg | Borough: Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg]

Opening hours: Tue – Sun 12 – 6 pm | Closing days 2022

Admission free | Barrier-free access