Photokina 2008: Program above and beyond the Visual Gallerya
Posted on August 31, 2008
Filed Under TechShowWIRE
A Feast of Creative Ideas - Photo Exhibitions at photokina 2008
They are that magical special ingredient - and make photokina such a truly unique experience: the many fascinating photography exhibitions by prominent artists and talented amateur photographers
The fascination of the image - and of technical innovations - is always the central focus of photokina. You will find proof of this in numerous impressive photography exhibitions throughout the fair that invite visitors to explore the boundless possibilities of expression offered by photography. This year, photokina will present a photo exhibition organized by the German Association for Photography (DVF) on the occasion of its 100-year anniversary, as well as the results of the EISA Photography Competition on global warming and the current exhibition by the organization Reporters Without Borders entitled “Blurring the Lines.” In addition, visitors to the World of Imaging will discover what enormous creative potential today’s amateur photographers have, by visiting the many presentations throughout the fair. Here is a selection of some of the diverse photography on display:
The European Central Bank (ECB) Annual Photography Award
For the first time, the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank will present at photokina 2008 a selection of images submitted for the European ECB Award. The ECB has chosen the medium of photography for its project, which fosters cultural exchange between European countries. The annual ECB Award is aimed at all kinds of photographers. One of the questions posed by the competition is “How do photographers perceive their own culture and other cultures, and how do they express their perceptions visually?” Participants are then able to develop ideas in order to frame their own answers by photographic means. In each of the participating 27 European countries, a curator will pick the best pieces and nominate them for the final round. From these entries, an international jury of photo experts will choose ten finalists and three award-winners. The exhibition at photokina 2008 will show a selection of the competition entries. Venue: Middle Boulevard
EISA Photo Competition on global warming
The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) is an alliance of European multimedia experts. Members represent over 50 leading specialized magazines from 19 European countries. This year, members of the EISA Photo Panel asked photographers from all of Europe to contribute works on the subject of global warming to the competition. The photo exhibition will show a selection of the best photos on the theme. Following a selection process in each country, the best submitted photographs will be chosen in Hungary at the end of June. photokina 2008 will host the special awards ceremony in the presentation area in Passage 4/5, on September 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Welthungerhilfe presents photographs from North Korea
The German aid organization Welthungerhilfe offers a rare chance to see photographs from North Korea in an exhibition featuring works by photographer Andreas Taubert. Hardly any foreign photographers have so far been able to capture natural, everyday life in this country. In the face of poverty and hopelessness, North Koreans are nevertheless shown as prevailing with pride and dignity. With great artistic skill, Taubert portrays everyday people caught up between their country’s propaganda and personality cult, trying to get by and make a living. Venue: Passage 10/11
Photographs from the world of research
Photographs are intermediaries between scientists and the general public. They capture the interest of people from all professions and age groups and offer them glimpses into laboratories that would otherwise be closed to them. To bring the fascinating world of scientific research within the reach of a broad audience, the news magazine FOCUS and the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA) initiated the photography competition “Images of Research” in 2005. The organizers are looking for the most spectacular and beautiful images from all areas of science - including the fields of biology, medicine, physics and astronomy. Scientists, professional photographers and ambitious amateurs are regularly invited to submit their photographs in the categories “The Fascination of Research” and “The Faces of Research”. The exhibition will be showing the best works of art from the last competitions. Venue: Intermediate level East
360-degree panorama photography
The International Virtual Reality Photographers Association (IVRPA) is presenting a collection of impressive 360-degree panorama photographs at this year’s photokina. What’s more, professional photo designers will introduce visitors to the technology behind panorama photography, and give a step-by-step explanation for how to best work with it. Venue: Hall 9A,
Stand: 050/ B051
UNICEF Photo of the Year
UNICEF Germany awards its annual prize “UNICEF Photo of the Year” for a photograph that provides an in-depth insight into the conditions under which children live. On display will be the best works submitted for the competition by internationally renowned professional photographers. The photos, all of which display a very high standard of photojournalism, capture special events and situations in the lives of children from every continent, as well as the difficult conditions under which many of them are forced to live. Venue: Passage 3/4
“Blurring the Lines - Photos for Freedom of the Press 2008″
“Blurring the Lines” is the title of the latest exhibition arranged by the organization Reporters Without Borders. The photographs focus on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, since freedom of the press is endangered in many of these countries, according to the organization. Renowned photographers contributed pieces to the exhibition free of charge in order to support Reporters Without Borders’ worthy cause. The artists confront visitors of photokina with the dramatic changes that occurred and are still unfolding throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with far-reaching political, environmental, and personal consequences continuing today. The vernissage will be attended by prominent photographers and journalists and will take place at the opening of the photokina. Venue: Passage 4/5
“European Architectural Photography Prize”
The unique architectural photography prize from architekturbild was awarded in 2007 for the seventh time. The international award, which has been presented every two years since 1995, has become a major feature of the photography scene. The spectrum of changing themes ranges from »Mankind and Architecture« (1995) to »New Homeland« (2009). The theme of the latest award was »My favorite place«, for which the photographs will be exhibited at photokina 2008. A total of 310 participants from 24 countries entered their photo series into the competition. The winners were selected by an international panel chaired by Hans Eberhard Hess, Editor-in-Chief of Photo International. The award ceremony was held in the Federal Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn in May 2007. The 28 best series of pictures for this renowned architectural photography prize will be displayed at photokina 2008. Venue: Hall 10.1, Stand: C042/ E43
Exhibition recaptures the heyday of movie theaters
Following the successful exhibition “60 Years of Peace!” at photokina 2006, this year’s supporting program will once again feature an impressive show of large-format black-and-white photos by Karl Hugo Schmölz, the famous photographer specializing in architectural images. The theme of this year’s presentation is “Movie Theaters: Cinema Architecture from the 1930s through the 1950s”. The exhibition revives the glamour of the movies’ heyday, using large-format digitally reproduced photographs. The images presented are from the archive of the Hugo Schmölz photography workshops, © Wim Cox Archive. Venue: Passage 4/5
“I have a dream”
The newspaper DIE ZEIT will exhibit the best photographs from its popular series “I Have a Dream” at photokina in Cologne. Every week, the newspaper’s supplement ZEITmagazin publishes a feature in which a prominent public figure reveals his or her lifelong dream. The article is accompanied by a photo of the person in question with his or her eyes closed, taken by an international star photographer. Ever since the series, titled “I Have a Dream,” began in 1999, more than 400 actors, politicians, musicians, painters, architects, and other outstanding personalities have had their photos taken. A selection of these photographs will be on show at photokina 2008, including portraits of Jörg Immendorf (photographed by Oliver Mark), Tilda Swinton (Albrecht Kunkel), Bono (Sam Jones), Hanna Schygulla (Lillian Birnbaum), 50 Cent (Marcus Gaab), Michael Ballhaus (Attila Hartwig), and Ray Davies (Jim Rakete). Venue: Congress Centre North
“Nature Photography Highlights of 2008″
There will be a photo exhibition of all the winners of Germany’s largest nature photography competition in 2008. One of the photos submitted in the competition in 2008 was unforgettable for the members of the jury. It depicted the penetrating gaze of a lion, and the jurors found that their eyes were repeatedly drawn back to the eyes of the lion. Among the many other outstanding photographs submitted, this one was therefore named the overall winner. It’s an unusual image that reflects the photographer’s attempt to capture the essence of this beautiful feline predator in a portrait. Venue: Passage 4/5
Western Architecture in Japan - An exhibition organized by the JCII
At photokina 2008, 50 photographic images of western-influenced architecture in Japan, from the Meiji to the Showa eras, will be presented by the Japan Camera Industry Institute. The photographs are by Akihisa Masuda, a prominent Japanese photographer of architecture. The exhibition is a continuation of the successful collaboration enjoyed with the JCII in 2006, when the institute presented impressive images of Mount Fuji at photokina. Venue: Hall 10.1, Stand: C040/ E041
KölnDesign presents “Different - contrasting creative approaches in photography”
The exceptional exhibition presents works by diverse photographers under the theme “Different”. The works of these internationally active photographers highlight different artistic approaches in photography and will bridge the gap between historic and modern photography. The exhibition ranges from classic still-life and fashion photography, to experimental and contemporary studio photography. The approaches presented are exciting and controversial. Venue: Boulevard North
The best images of the 76th German Photography Championship 2008
In Hall 5.1 at photokina 2008 the German Association for Photography (DVF) is marking its centennial year by presenting more than 400 prize-winning photographs from its annual German Photography Championship. The large-format pictures are only a small cross-section of the more than 5,000 entries received for the 76th German Photography Championship 2008, which is being organized by the DVF and staged by the Bayer Association for the Promotion of Artistic Image Media in Leverkusen. Venue: Hall 5.1, Stand: I30/ J26
“Blende” and “Blende Jugend”
At photokina 2008 in Cologne, “Blende” - Europe’s biggest photo competition for amateur photographers - is presenting a brilliant array of fascinating photographs. The exhibition, which will feature a selection of the best works submitted for the German newspaper reader photography competition “Blende,” will be presented on the Boulevard at the exhibition center. The pictures taken by the dedicated photographers presented at “Blende” have a special quality that is well worth seeing. The more than 70 images from the “Blende” competition that will be displayed at photokina 2008 are truly remarkable. The exhibition will be accompanied by a “Blende” catalogue featuring more than 60 pages dedicated to these images, in recognition that photography is the universal language that everyone understands. Brief commentaries on the individual themes and an offering of photography tips round out the “Blende” catalogue. Venue: Middle Boulevard
fotocommunity - 2008 Photographer of the Year
fotocommunity, the biggest online photographic community, is looking for the best photographers of 2008 in eight main areas - Motifs, Special, People, Nudes, Nature, DigiArt, Youth, and Our World. Each month until the start of photokina, fotocommunity will be accepting competition entries in each of the eight areas. The winners will then be selected from these fields of entries by a jury of renowned experts. All eight of the winners will be presented with the fotocommunity Award at a festive celebration and ceremony during photokina - and each of them will have their own exhibition. Venue: Boulevard North
German Young Photographer Prize 2008
Exhibition and awards ceremony at photokina
Photography is very popular among children and teenagers. There are more amateur photographers age 25 or younger taking part in this year’s competition than have ever participated in the past. More than 15,000 photos were submitted, images that address either a theme selected by the participants themselves or the theme specially conceived for the competition - “Ganz schön alt” (A ripe old age). The best photos, which will be selected by a jury, are to be presented at photokina 2008 in Cologne (Entrance East, intermediate level Halls 10/11). The awards ceremony will take place on September 28, 12:00 noon, in Hall 1.
Germany’s best photographer
Together with the magazine Audio Video FotoBild, SIGMA - a leading supplier of lenses, cameras and flash devices - is searching for Germany’s best photographers, in six different categories. The competition will be held entirely online. Visitors to the website www.deutschlandsbesterfotograf.de judge the images by means of an online voting procedure, and a jury of experts then selects a group winner in each category from among the entries that received the highest ratings from the visitors to the site. In addition to a specially organized photography tour, each group winner takes home the title “Germany’s Best Photographer.” The best images from the competition will be presented in an exhibition in Hall 5.2, Stand A30/B31.
Source: www.photokina-cologne.com
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