Pictures from Within

The F3 – Free Space for Photography in Berlin presents the showcase ‘Blind Photographers’, open from October 3 to November 29, 2020.

‘Blind photographers’ initially sounds like a paradox. Is photography not inextricably linked with the ability to see? This exhibition proves otherwise: art is borne out of a strong inner vision – along with skilled technique and, in this case, good teamwork. From October 3, the F3 – Free Space for Photography in Berlin presents images by Susanne Emmermann, Mary Hartwig, Silja Korn and Gerald Pirner, all of whom have lost their sight at some point in their lives. And yet, they have each spent years exploring the impossible: the act of seeing.

To create their images, the photographers rely on the technique of light painting, which is almost as old as photography itself. Working at night or in completely darkened rooms, they use various sources of light in connection with long exposures, in order to emphasise the elements of the image they seek to convey. Sighted assistants support them by arranging the scene according to their instructions, and verbally describing what the artists themselves are unable to perceive.

For further information visit f3 – freiraum für fotografie