Since it was first launched back in 2004, House of Photography at Deichtorhallen Hamburg had been advancing the »gute aussichten − junge deutsche fotografie« (»good prospects − young german photography«) project. In the meantime it established itself as the most important prize for up and coming photographers in the field of contemporary photo art in germany. This year’s selection committee, composed besides the founder Josefine Raab, Dr. Wibke von Bonin, Claudia Christoffel, Paul Graham, Mario Lombardo, Stefan Becht und Ingo Taubhorn selected nine award winners out of 100 participants. The photographic works of Karolin Back, Katharina Fricke, Andrea Grützner, Marvin Hüttermann, Stefanie Schroeder, Jannis Schulze, Kolja Warnecke und Eduard Zent will be shown from February 23 to March 8, 2015 at the House of Photography in the Deichtorhallen Hamburg.
According to SPIEGEL »gute aussichten« is »Germany’s most renowned competition for young photographers« which evolves more and more into a »constant substitution of young photography«. The heart of the project is an annual competition for final year projects of all german universities, colleges and academies that offer graduate courses in photography. Every college can maximally submit five applicants. The selected award winners will be presented afterwards in different exhibitions, initiatives and media to the public at large.
Josefine Raab, founder of »gute aussichten«: In the 11th year of »gute aussichten«, the seven members of the jury have selected eight portfolios from a total of 115 entries from 40 different institutions. The common theme in all eight award winning works is their (photographic) quest for the essential questions of life. The works could hardly be more different from each other. Altogether, there are more than 300 images, two video projections and three books. In its eleventh year, «gute aussichten« finds that the young generation of photographers is after the most basic and existential questions of life: like the banality of death and that which remains or follows the deceased and vanishes without a trace. Or the rootedness that people find in their tradition or origin and how even these people have long integrated the gadgets and everyday objects of the (affluent) western society modern migration. Or photography: as an action, as a job that has to be done, a job in the course of which an image emerges only to become a minor part, just like the photographer herself. Simultaneously this shows the other side of the coin when it co mes to years and years of studying art «an image« has to be created in many different ways. Then there is a deliberate search for traces on altogether mundane routes that shows us how the things that we overlook in our daily routine can become visible and palpable once we decide to pay attention and change our perspective.
Award winners:
Karolin Back //Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach am Main
Katharina Fricke // Fachhochschule Bielefeld
Andrea Grützner //Fachhochschule Bielefeld
Marvin Hüttermann // Fotoakademie-Köln
Stefanie Schroeder // Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
Jannis Schulze // Kunsthochschule Berlin – Weißensee
Kolja Warnecke // Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Hamburg
Eduard Zent // Fachhochschule Bielefeld
