From 15 to 19 May 2024, the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation presents the exhibition “See/Change – Art Collection Deutsche Börse @25” at the international photography fair “Photo London” at Somerset House. With this exhibition, the Foundation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, one of the most important international collections of contemporary photography that comprises more than 2,300 works by 160 artists from 35 countries.  

“See/Change – Art Collection Deutsche Börse @25” brings together ten contemporary artistic positions that critically reflect on poignant matters of our time – ranging from visual meditations on environmental and climate change to community activism, and complex politics of migration, transformation and selfhood. Each project offers a unique perspective on the central theme of the collection, the “conditio humana”: an exploration of the varied conditions of human existence and its position in the world. The curated selection is drawn from the Foundation’s recent acquisitions for the Art Collection Deutsche Börse. In the spirit of cooperation, dialogue and diversity – the three guiding principles of the anniversary year – the exhibition is curated by Anne-Marie Beckmann, Curator of the Art Collection together with independent curator and scholar Renée Mussai, advisory board member of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation. The show offers the international audience the opportunity to experience the diversity of perspectives, themes and artistic approaches within the Art Collection Deutsche Börse.

The artists shown are: Mohamed Bourouissa, Sabiha Çimen, Sim Chi Yin, Marvel Harris, Daniel Jack Lyons, Sabelo Mlangeni, Philip Montgomery, Anastasia Samoylova, Aida Silvestri and Vanessa Winship.

Collectively and individually, the artists explore essential questions of identity, freedom and visibility, especially the representation of socially marginalised and prejudiced communities, as seen in the defiant youth in the Parisian “banlieues” in Mohamed Bourouissa’s large-scale photographs, the cosmos of young women and girls in Turkey’s Koran schools in Sabiha Çimen’s colour works, or the ordeals of Eritrean migrants in Aida Silvestri’s mixed media portraits. In their respective long-term projects, Sim Chi Yin and Anastasia Samoylova thematise the increasingly devastating effects of global climate emergency and its ecological impact on the environment, both natural and human-made. Such geopolitical tenets of crisis also resonate in Philip Montgomery’s black and white photography, which holds up a harsh mirror to the reality of unequal opportunities, racial discrimination and societal turmoil in the United States. Vanessa Winship’s examination of the US today is no less ambivalent, if less stark, in her portrayal of the transient and continuously changing nature of landscape and the people within it. While Sabelo Mlangeni and Daniel Jack Lyons contemplate marginality, indigeneity and identity in relation to queer rural communities in South Africa and in the Brazilian Amazon, Marvel Harris’ autobiographical work conveys his lived experience as a non-binary transgender person with autism – a journey of transformation both deeply personal and universally human.

Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of the Foundation, comments: “This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse and are proud of the ever-growing collection. The exhibition at ‘Photo London’ is a particular highlight of our anniversary programme and we are delighted to present a curated selection of our collection of contemporary photography to an international audience.”

Exhibition programme

On Thursday, 16 May, at 2 p.m., a book signing of the seventh edition of the collection catalogue “XL Photography” with the artists Verdiana Albano, Anton Kusters and Tom Wood takes place at the Kehrer publishing house stand, P4 East Wing. The illustrated book, recently published by the Photography Foundation, presents the artistic positions newly acquired for the Art Collection Deutsche Börse since 2019. An exhibition ticket is required to attend the event. The volume “XL Photography 7” can be purchased on site.

On Friday, 17 May, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., curators Anne-Marie Beckmann and Renée Mussai introduce the themes of the exhibition in an artist talk at Somerset House. Together with artists Aida Silvestri and Sabiha Çimen they discuss the medium of photography, the artists’ respective photographic practices and the connection between their artistic work and a deep commitment to social change. An exhibition ticket is required to attend the event, please register by 6 May at foundation@deutsche-boerse.com.

Notes to Editors:

A press preview for the exhibition will take place on Wednesday, 15 May 2024, at 9:30 a.m. at Somerset House, London. Please register by 2 May 2024 via e-mail to isabelle.hammer@deutsche-boerse.com.

You can find an overview of the press images for the exhibition “See/Change – Art Collection Deutsche Börse @25” here. We will be happy to send you the press images in print quality upon request.

Information for Visitors: 

The exhibition is part of the photography fair “Photo London” and on display until 19 May 2024 at Somerset House. Visiting is possible with a fair ticket. Day tickets or weekend passes can be purchased via the Photo London website.  

Address: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, United Kingdom

Media Contact:
Isabelle Hammer                
media.foundation@deutsche-boerse.com                
Tel. +49 69 21117014 
                        

About the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Frankfurt/ Main, dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. The Foundation is responsible for the development and presentation of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, whose 25th anniversary it is celebrating this year. The collection now comprises over 2,300 photographic works by around 160 artists from 35 nations. The Foundation shows several public exhibitions a year in its exhibition space in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main. It supports young artists through awards, scholarships or the annual talent programme of the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Foam. Together with the Photographers’ Gallery in London, it awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize every year. The Foundation also works on exhibitions with international museums and institutions, as well as creating platforms for academic dialogue and research on photography. 
www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org 

About the Art Collection Deutsche Börse

The Art Collection Deutsche Börse is among the most important collections of international contemporary photography. Established in 1999, the collection now comprises more than 2,300 works by around 160 artists from 35 countries. The Art Collection is dedicated to the central themes of photography since the Mid-20th century. The visual languages and photographic approaches represented in the collection are as diverse as the background, age, or artistic method of the photographers, ranging from documentary to conceptual approaches. Each position offers its own perspective on the collection’s central theme, the “conditio humana”, the exploration of the conditions of human existence and its position in the world.