Parents of the Revolution

“Their faces could be read like a book: each line telling us part of our own history. Their tired bodies, witnesses to past revolutions, bring the past into the present; their eyes reveal the awareness of their role in the on-going cycle of life.”

“I was impressed by the huge number of old fellows walking along with the crowd, wearing something red or carrying a red carnation. Their proud eyes, their attitude, conscious of having taken part in something big and important in the past. Their manner revealed that their idealistic souls were still intact. Their readiness to denounce the inequality of the world, and to fight against it as best they can, made an impression on me. It also revealed an interesting aspect about Berlin to me: these people in their seventies or older, slowly walking down the streets, had lived, witnessed and probably taken part in some of the most crucial moments in recent history. They are the people who believed that a revolution could change the world. Each one taking part in different causes, different revolutions, different actions; but they were there – as actors or witnesses. If I could speak with them, I would surely hear some great stories; but I don’t speak German. So I had to imagine their stories; and, in doing so, I put together a series of photographs featuring these revolutionaries. Candid shots in which I see, ask and answer the question: fighters from the past, who are you today?”

The ‘Neue Schule für Fotografie’ will also present the works of the winners and finalists of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2018 in a major exhibition later this year.