Künstler-Köpfe-Ateliers (Artists-Heads-Studios) - Portraits of visual Artists in Berlin

The project is dedicated to the idea of being an artist. Through the faces and work places of individual artists it speaks about the courage to expose oneself with intimate creations to the public and to live in often financially insecure circumstances. The project tells about the difficulties to live on and with art, as well as it gives an impression of the ongoing fascination of artistic creation.

In the years from 2001 until 2004 more than 80 portraits of visual artists were taken for that purpose. The pictures were photographed in the respective studios and workshops of these people. Geographical focus was the southeastern part of Berlin where an unusually high number of artists was residing. The art scene here is partly still deriving from the time when this part of Berlin belonged to East-Germany. The fast adjustment of all areas of life to Western standards in the former East exposed the art scene on this side of the Wall to an ongoing upheaval and identification process. This particular situation and atmosphere was to be captured by the project's portrait work. The project is meant to be a momentary reflection of this historic situation, shown through individual life models in the realm of a specific social group within the German society.

Künstler-Köpfe-Ateliers took place in collaboration and with support of the municipal department for culture in the Berlin boroughs Treptow and Köpenick and the Kunst- und Medienzentrum in Berlin-Adlershof. A book by the same title (Künstler Köpfe Ateliers) is published about the project. For further information please go to the link "Publications" on this website.