Contrasts and Connections 

Alexandra Polina lives close to Hamburg’s Steindamm – a street as well-known as the city’s Jungfernstieg, Grosse Freiheit or Elbchaussee. The Steindamm is the main thoroughfare of the noisy, bustling district behind the Central Station. It is an area that is home to people of all creeds and colours, and often draws prejudices due to its ethnic diversity. 

Everything seems to exist simultaneously and on an equal footing: Middle Eastern restaurants, illegal prostitution, diamond trading, mobile phone shops, mosques, sex shops, a methadone clinic, mini marts with groceries from around the world. It may not always be picture-perfect, but Alexandra Polina loves her neighbourhood and explores it on a regular basis – not just as a resident, but also as a photographer who trains her lens on the people, places and details that make this area so unique.

Her clear visual language counteracts the overwhelming impressions, instead drawing attention to details that are easily overlooked in the confusion of everyday life. With a concentrated gaze, the photographer observes her environment and its often marginalised communities – capturing moments that tell the multi-faceted stories of the Steindamm and its inhabitants without ever deviating into clichés.

The showcase will be on view until 20 February 2025.