When can the exhibition be seen?

The special exhibition can be seen from September 23, 2026, to February 14, 2027, at the Museum of Applied Arts Gera.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Museum of Applied Arts Gera, located at Greizer Straße 37-39, 07545 Gera.

How much is the admission fee?

An individual ticket costs 6 euros. A reduced ticket costs 4 euros. For groups of ten or more, admission is 4 euros per person.

Is there a public tour?

Yes, the first public tour takes place on September 27, 2026, at 3 PM. A surcharge of 1.50 euros applies to the admission price for the tour.

Which artists are represented?

The exhibition showcases awarded works by Raisan Hameed, Martin Ruckert, Nora Schwarz, Benjamin Friedle, and Anika Werk.

Is the exhibition suitable for photography enthusiasts without prior knowledge?

Yes, the exhibition connects illustrative photographic works with topics such as memory, environment, migration, artificial intelligence, and analog image production, providing various access points to contemporary photography.

Discover Award-Winning Contemporary Photography between Memory, Nature, and Digital Reality

Name: Special Exhibition 15th Aenne-Biermann Prize for German Contemporary Photography
Start: 2026-09-23
End: 2027-02-14T23:59:00+01:00
Location: Museum für Angewandte Kunst Gera

Contemporary Photography as a Reflection of Memory, Reality, and Digital Image Culture

The Museum of Applied Arts Gera presents from September 23, 2026, to February 14, 2027, the special exhibition for the 15th Aenne-Biermann Prize for German Contemporary Photography. The exhibition showcases awarded photographic positions and makes visible how diverse the medium unfolds between documentary observation, analog experimentation, social research, and digital image production.

A Renowned Competition for Contemporary Photography

The Aenne-Biermann Prize, organized by the city of Gera and the arts and culture funding of SV SparkassenVersicherung, is linked to the legacy of the Gera-based photographer Aenne Biermann. Since 1992, the award has promoted innovative photographic achievements and documented current development trends in photography as an art form. The 15th edition saw a record participation with 548 applications in the history of the competition.

Five Artistic Positions, Five Perspectives

The first prize was awarded to Raisan Hameed for his work After Image. The photographic series combines damaged family photographs with digital gaps from Google Street View images. Between pixelation, memory, and visual gaps, a poignant reflection on war, migration, technological control, and the question of what photographic images can preserve emerges.

Martin Ruckert's series Baryt 2.57 focuses on the hidden processes of analog photography. Black and white images, photograms, and chemigrams reveal tools, materials, and physical traces of the darkroom. The images transform photographic production into a standalone aesthetic event.

Nora Schwarz dedicates herself in Songs of The Taiga to the dwindling boreal forest of Sweden. Her photographs combine landscape shots with portraits of people whose living environment, work, and cultural identity are closely linked to the forest. The work connects nature observation, climate issues, and cultural responsibility.

Benjamin Friedle's Words from Images from Photos from Forms investigates the dissolution of boundaries between real and digital image worlds. Text, photography, and objects meet in an installation about artificial intelligence, simulation, and algorithmic perception. Anika Werk's work Why? uses body fragments and associative nature and city images to make unspoken violence and inner emotional worlds visible.

Art Reflection in the Museum of Applied Arts

The exhibition atmosphere thrives on the interplay between documentary accuracy, material presence, and conceptual openness. Light, surface, grain, shadow, and digital disturbance become autonomous design elements. Visitors experience photography not only as an image of reality but as a space for thought in which memory, identity, environment, and technological transformation are negotiated.

The exhibition thus offers a demanding art experience for photography enthusiasts, students, families, and anyone interested in engaging with the visual culture of the present. The public tour on September 27, 2026, at 3 PM opens additional access to the curation, the awarded works, and the art historical references of the competition.

Conclusion: Photography between Trace, Break, and New Reality

The special exhibition for the 15th Aenne-Biermann Prize shows how contemporary photography translates societal experiences into precise, poetic, and unsettling images. Between analog material, digital manipulation, personal memory, and ecological responsibility, a multifaceted aesthetic experience emerges. Anyone wishing to experience photography as an art form, research tool, and cultural language should definitely visit this exhibition live at the Museum of Applied Arts Gera.