"Russians Jews Germans. Photographs by Michael Kerstgens from 1992 to the Present"
Press Invitation to the Press Tour and the Exhibition Opening
Press Release, Tue 3 Apr 2012
The immigration of over 200,000 Jews from the states of the former Soviet Union since the 90s has fundamentally changed the Jewish communities in Germany. Michael Kerstgens is one of the few photographers who has recorded this process over an extended period. From 20 April, the Jewish Museum Berlin will exhibit around 80 black and white photos by Michael Kerstgens showing both the social and religious challenges faced by Jewish immigrants and the situation of the long-time residents.
We cordially invite you to attend the press tour and exhibition opening on Thursday 19 April.
- Kontakt
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Press office
T +49 (0)30 259 93 419
presse@jmberlin.de - Address
Jewish Museum Berlin Foundation
Lindenstraße 9–14
10969 Berlin
Press Tour
| With | Michael Kerstgens, photographer TTheresia Ziehe, curator for photography at the Jewish Museum Berlin Mikhail Troychanskiy from Canada will also attend, whose family life was documented by Michael Kerstgens. |
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| When | 19 April 2012, 11 am |
| Where | Libeskind Building, ground level, Eric F. Ross Gallery in the permanent exhibition |
Opening
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The Exhibition
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In Conversation
Theresia Ziehe, curator for photography at the Jewish Museum Berlin
Michael Kerstgens, photographer, and Cilly Kugelmann, program director at the Jewish Museum Berlin
| When | 19 April 2012, 7 pm |
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| Where | Libeskind Building, ground level, Eric F. Ross Gallery in the permanent exhibition |
| Admission | free |
On the Exhibition "Russians Jews Germans. Photographs by Michael Kerstgens from 1992 to the Present"
Michael Kerstgens’ photographs depict how Jewish life in Germany has changed in the last 20 years with the immigration of Russian-speaking Jews. As a "participating observer," he records religious festivals and parties, everyday scenes in temporary accommodation, the renowned "Russendisko" in Kaffee Burger and private moments of family life. The pictures tell of farewells and starting anew, of arriving and staying, of the longing to belong, and of religious tradition.
"Judaism was as foreign to us as the CPSU congress"
Especially for the exhibition, Michael Kerstgens shot a further portrait of some of his protagonists from the nineties. Together with biographical information, these series document the sometimes astounding paths of the immigrants. One series follows the Troychanskiy family on its journey from Moscow via Berlin to Toronto and documents the move of the initially secular Russian family towards the Jewish faith.
Michael Kerstgens works in photojournalism and documentary photography, shooting photo reportages for national and international magazines including "Stern" and "Geo." He lives in Oberhausen, Rhineland and has taught at the University of Darmstadt as professor of documentary photography since 2007.
The photographs by Michael Kerstgens will be shown at the Jewish Museum Berlin parallel to the exhibition "Berlin Transit. Jewish Immigrants from Eastern Europe in the 1920s" and enrich the historical perspective of the migration theme with a current one.
Book tip: The book "New Life. Russians - Jews - Germans" by Michael Kerstgens will be published for the exhibition. With texts by Hanno Loewy and Wolfgang Büscher, published by Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg. 136 pages, 121 duotone illustrations. 29.90 €. ISBN 978-3-86828-277-1
For review copies, please contact Kehrer Publishers:
Shiva Hamid, Press Department
tel.: +49 6221 6492027, fax: +49 6221 6492020
e-mail: shiva.hamid@kehrerverlag.com
