German photographer Barbara Klemm will hold an exhibition entitled “Hell-Dunkel” (Light – Dark) at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi from October 17 to 29 to introduce some of her photos of the western and eastern Germany.

Barbara Klemm’s photos document the path to the reunification of Germany

Barbara Klemm is considered the most important photographic chronicler of the old Federal Republic Germany.

She worked as a photojournalist for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) for over 40 years. She was there when major political events took place. Her photos illuminate German contemporary history. Among them are key events of rapprochement between East and West.

Today, Barbara Klemm’s photos are regarded as icons of the German history of the 20th century. They adhere to the public memory and shape the picture of the time before and until the reunification of the two German states.

Barbara Klemm’s photography is photojournalism and photographic art in one. Her photos follow artistic design principles of painting and document everyday life and people in times and living spaces that are no longer so today.

To this day, Barbara Klemm takes photos exclusively with the analogue camera. Her films are black and white. “That’s color enough,” she says. She even abstains from using flash.

Klemm interest has always been in people. Be it demonstrations, protests or public places – her focus has always been on what is called social reality.

She did portraits of famous people from the art and music scene. In doing so, she took care to expose the protagonists in their usual environment and without any photographic staging. People and social reality are what interests her.

SGT