For the first time, the Museum für Fotografie (Museum of Photography) is presenting an exhibition explicitly for children. On display is a multifaceted mix of some 170 works from the Kunstbibliothek’s (Art Library) photographic collection, as well as a concise selection of prints, drawings, sculptural works and films. Photography’s applications and its compositional and expressive forms from the media’s beginnings to the present day thus become tangible.

Ten associatively grouped sections offer a wealth of diverse images and photo stories. They contain episodes about conceiving, collecting and narrating photographs; reading numbers, letters and clouds; and making discoveries in daily life, at school and on excursions. Included are photographs of animals and nature and stories about families and friendships, as well as photo-booth portraits and photographic games involving colour, light, mirrors, and materials. The exhibition spans the spectrum from the snapshot, the classic professional advertising studio image and the socially committed photo reportage through to artistic designs and concepts. These include Pictorialism from around 1900, the New Vision of the 1920s, photo graphics, mail art and works using staged photography.

The “School of Seeing” and a Reading Island

A selection of prints, drawings, sculptural works and films complements the presentation, focusing primarily on the specific sensuous materiality of vintage photographs and helping viewers learn to “see”. In addition, a reading island with books illustrated with photographs offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves in various photo narratives. This media diversity opens up new perspectives – and not just for young people. It is aimed at anyone who has kept an open view of the world, the arts and, last but not least, photography.

An Extensive Accompanying Programme

An extensive accompanying programme invites visitors to the exhibition to make discoveries, try things out and get involved. The programme consists mainly of “actions” and workshops with historical as well as contemporary usages of photography. These are rounded out by interdisciplinary events, performances and artist talks providing insights into the intimate interconnectedness of the history of photography with everyday life’s realities, questions and practices as well with culture and art.

Publication

A catalogue is published by Snoeck, Cologne.

A special exhibition of the Kunstbibliothek – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin