Brightest Young Things

Opening reception on Thursday, February 2, 6 - 8 pm with Curator Josefine Raab and Stefan Becht
RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 165 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org
"Germany's most renowned competition for young photographers" - Spiegel
Works by seven winners of gute aussichten 2011/2012, the eighth annual German competition for graduate photography students, come to Washington on the exhibition's worldwide tour. Featuring Sebastian Lang, Sara-Lena Maierhofer, Johannes Post, Luise Schröder, Miriam Schwedt, Julia Unkel and Franziska Zacharias.
gute aussichten presents a unique and far-ranging synopsis in terms of both the content and style of the works created by young photographers in Germany during the past 12 months. Individual image series are distinguished by their highly diverse aesthetic, formal and conceptual approaches, providing an insight into the multifaceted themes that form the focus of young artists' interests today.
In this year's selection of winners, 'edits' proves to be a unifying link. According to curator Josefine Raab, "last year's trend for treating the medium of photography both experimentally and playfully and lacking coercion also continued this year. The photographic legacy of schools influenced by the image has led young photographers to an imaginative exploration and expansion of their instrument repertoire. The construction of images, as ever, remains a major theme, with the total staging of image worlds moving into the foreground by using various means. The analysis of the political, societal, social and cultural themes of our time continues to be virulent and has … pushed the topics of narrative self determination and self-positioning into the background."