Four Women. Four Biographies

Featuring images by Christine Stephan-Brosch, Evelyn Krull, Gerdi Sippel and May Voigt, the showcase is dedicated to an often overlooked chapter of photography history: the lives and work of female photographers during the GDR era. Around 80 photographs will be on display, spanning right up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Among the exhibits are works from the museum’s own holdings, as well as images provided by the photographers themselves.

Christine Stephan-Brosch has a long-standing connection to Saxony’s culture scene, having portrayed many of the region’s artists since the 1960s. In her work, she searches for traces of the natural – which she finds both within people, and in her immediate surroundings. 

Evelyn Krull trains her lens on the physical. In her fine-art nude photographs, which date back as far as the 1970s, she employs a clear visual language to create compelling perspectives and convey universal human truths. 

Gerdi Sippel’s work is centred on depictions of human labour and its creative force. Yet her focus is not so much on the act of working, but rather on the results – which become visible in the most mundane objects and scenarios. 

Light and shadow play a decisive role in May Voigt’s muted renditions of moments in time. Her images are often reminiscent of coded metaphors – revealing the artist’s innermost being with compelling sensitivity. 

Four Women. Four Biographies continues at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz art museum until 9 June 2024.