Last Updated on 01/30/2025 by Lara Carretero
It was John Berger, who once said: “Every city has a sex and an age which have nothing to do with demography. Rome is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a teenager, an urchin, and in this hasn’t changed since the time of Dickens. Paris, I believe, is a man in his twenties in love with an older woman.” Cities, thus, have identities that are very unique from one another. It is this difference that makes them so diverse and distinct. If you’re someone who loves what any city has to offer, a new exhibition featuring six influential photographers must be on your list. Here’s why you shouldn’t miss it.
Titled From the Heart of the City, the exhibition explores urban transformations through the lenses of Thomas Hoepker, Michael Wolf, Stéphane Duroy, René Groebli, Yasuhiro Ogawa, and Roger Ballen. Their works offer a unique look at cities like Berlin, Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Paris, Kyoto, and Johannesburg, often depicting how urban landscapes have evolved over the years. The photographs have been shot over a span of over 70 years, from 1952 to 2024, and showcase the changing social, cultural, and architectural landscapes of these regions.
Featured Artists and Works
- Thomas Hoepker: He is best known for his renowned photographs of Muhammad Ali in Chicago in 1966, but in addition to these images, you will also his Kodachrome color images that have chronicled the vibrant life in New York City in the late 20th century.
- Michael Wolf: A German photographer who lived in Hong Kong, Wolf documented the city’s dense urban spaces in a striking series called Architecture of Density. Through this series, he examined the interplay of social and architectural elements in megacities.
- Stéphane Duroy: His poetic images were captured in West Berlin towards the end of the city’s division. The pictures highlight the upcoming monumental change, showcasing the tension and hope that surrounded the historic fall of the Berlin Wall.
- Roger Ballen: Known for his iconic blend of documentary images with surrealism, Ballen’s works portray the psychological and theatrical dimensions of urban life. His black-and-white portraits challenge conventional notions of reality, something that you don’t see often.
- René Groebli: His cinematic, photographic style has been lauded by many, and his series The Eye of Love was created during his honeymoon in Paris in 1952. With the use of motion blur and romantic staging, the photographer inspires viewers and showcases the beauty in the mundane.
- Yasuhiro Ogawa: By blending abstraction, light, and movement, Ogawa creates dreamlike images that often depict Japan’s cultural and spiritual landscape.
The showcase invites viewers to travel through time as they witness the changes in urban territories and the personal narratives that shape them. The images also depict how each city, with its hues and colors, functions as a melting pot and epicenter of global change. From Duroy to Hoepker, all photographs continue to be a part of a larger conversation about cities and how some have become more central to the history of the world than others. Whether you are a professional or amateur photographer, a fashion or street photographer, each will learn something or feel differently once they view the show. If you feel even the slightest sense of glee or wonder, then these photographers have truly succeeded in their role.
The exhibition will be on display until February 22 at Galerie Buchkunst Berlin. For more information, visit their website.