Fashion reportage, photographic essays of urban and rural landscapes by iconic German photographer Sibyelle Bergemann have been brought together for display at the National Gallery of Modern Art here.
Curated from a pool of pictures, the show displays 129 photos which gives a sense of the history of Germany with lively portraits of the Germans and the German monuments and landscape.
The exhibition is curated by Andreas Rost, a student of Sibyelle Bergemann's husband who closely got a chance to interact and learn from Bergemann.
"The photos give a sense of photojournalism but is actually the personal vision of the photographer and the melancholy that is expressed through her pictures. Also the sequence of the photos displayed at the exhibition was her choice," Andreas Rost, curator of the exhibition said.
Inaugurated by K K Mittal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture here recently, the exhibition has been travelling through different cities throughout the globe, the last venue being Mumbai.
Photos of Mitte, former Foreign Ministry of GDR, lively pictures of Mazakhn, Springfalls and other such historical and political monuments are on display.
"It is a part of the cultural exchange programme between Indian and Germany. Such moves are going to strengthen the ties between the countries. Exhibitions and festivals are being organised with exchange from the artists which is further going to benefit the ties of the country," Mittal said.
The show has been organised by the Institute of Foreign
Cultural Relations, Stuttgart in collaboration with Academy of Arts, Berlin and Ostkrezn- Photographer's Agency.
Candid photos of women of every age, cafes and restaurants and people enjoying at these places have been displayed at the exhibition.
"East Germany liked partying, dancing and so there were special restaurants for that purpose. People could eat, dance and meet people. Some tables also had phones. There was no age barrier.
"So not having enough money, she visited many of these cheap cafes and captured the mood of the people. She would keep the camera on the table and do hidden photography to capture the candid pictures of the people at the cafes and restaurants," Rost said.
Portraits of famous actors, singers and models were have been captured in lens with pictures which also shows the discontent of the photographer against the government.
The models who were shot were organised by Bergemann due to lack of make-up artists.
"She organised and got the models dressed herself due of dearth of resources," Rost said.
At first known as a fashion photographer, Bergemann fast became noted for her photographic essays and her precise observations of hidden contexts.
A hanging statue of 'The Monument' along with other pictures from the 'Das Denkmal' series of 1986 have been at display at the exhibition.
