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The Visual Gallery at photokina 2010 (September 21 – 26, 2010) will feature an exhibition by Michael von Graffenried, the newly-minted winner of the Dr. Erich Salomon Award. “Outing” covers nine topics from his comprehensive body of work. In addition to early works from the years 1979 – 1985, Graffenried is also showing works from Algeria (1991 – 2002), Sudan (1995), Cairo (2007), and the London district of Whitechapel, where Muslims from Bangladesh are in the majority. Visitors to the Visual Gallery can also see the works “Naked in Paradise” (1988 – 1997), “Our Town – an inside look at the United States today (2006), “Eye on Africa” (2008/2009), and the sensational work “Cocainelove” (2003 – 2005), for which he accompanied a drug-addicted couple on the streets for over two years. These photographs show how difficult and unsafe daily life is on drugs and between dealers, prison, prostitution and death. Michael von Graffenried uses his photographs to show viewers the things they cannot see because they are not present, because they are not attentive enough, or simply because they do not want to look. Michael von Graffenried casts his provocative and unvarnished eye on everything going on around him.

Born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1957,  Michael von Graffenried lives and works in Paris. Originally a photojournalist, he now works on long-term projects that he presents in a variety of media, often exhibiting his work in public places. A large portion of his work is in the panoramic format, which he has used since 1991. Since 1998 he has been making 125 x 288 cm enlargements of his photographs on Baryth paper. These large formats “look the viewer in the eye, enabling [Graffenried] to integrate the viewer (of the art) directly into what is happening in the image,” writes curator Harald Szeemann about the artist. The documentary film Guerre sans images, which Graffenried produced together with Mohammed Soudani, was first screened at the Locarno Film Festival in 2002. His photographs can be seen in museum and gallery exhibitions in France, Switzerland, New York, Algiers, Hong Kong, and Beirut, and are also represented in numerous permanent collections, including the Fotostiftung Schweiz (Swiss Foundation for Photography) in Winterthur, the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, and the Biblothèque Nationale in Paris. He generally publishes the results of his projects in book form. Examples include Sudan (1996), Naked in Paradise (1997), Algeria, the Sinister War (1998), World Panorama (1998), Cocainelove (2005), and eye on africa (2009).  Michael von Graffenried was given the title of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres of the French Légion d’Honneur in 2006 in recognition of his work.  A catalogue with a discussion between Hans Ulrich Obrist, Codirector of the Serpentine Gallery in London, and the artist is being issued for the “Outing” exhibition.

Dr. Erich Salomon Award of the German Society for Photography (DGPh)

Awarded since 1971 in recognition of “outstanding applications of photography in the field of journalism”, the award is in memory of Dr. Erich Salomon, a major photographer of the Weimar Republic era and a great inspiration to the entire field of contemporary photojournalism. The award comprises a certificate and a Leica M camera engraved with the name of the recipient. The highest distinction of the DGPh besides the Cultural Award, it is presented every year.

Note for editorial offices

A small initial selection of very high-quality images related to the artists and exhibitions mentioned here is available in Koelnmesse’s image database at www.visualgallery.de in a password-protected area of the Press section. Depending on the artist or institution in question, it is necessary to comply with very clearly defined terms regarding rights of use. These terms can be viewed by clicking on the terms-of-use link above the registration button. Please comply fully with these terms of use in order to avoid any copyright infringement problems arising at a later date.