The Life’s Work of an Icon

The artist, who passed away earlier this year, was considered one of the most important photographic voices of her generation. For more than thirty years, Helga Paris captured iconic portraits and sensitive impressions of her surroundings. Her life’s work will also be recognised posthumously with the Fotografie Forum Art Prize. ”I am delighted that we are able to pay a special tribute to this outstanding photographer with this exhibition and award,” says the Fotografie Forum’s Director, Dr. Nina Mika-Helfmeier, who curated the showcase. “Her highly original, almost tender images are beyond compare.”

A self-taught photographer, Helga Paris began taking pictures of her surroundings in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district in the 1960s. In the years and decades that followed, she placed a particular focus on the people of this working-class neighbourhood – training her lens on anyone from garbage collectors to bar dwellers and furniture movers. Her photographs are characterised by a profound empathy and understanding, and are a testament to the artist’s ability to capture the idiosyncrasies of her protagonists with remarkable accuracy, without ever belittling or trivialising them in any way.