As part of the exhibition series “La jeune photographie allemande”, this year, students of Ricarda Roggan at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste are showing their photographic works. The exhibition entitled “PARASITES!” will open at the Goethe-Institut Paris on 7 November 2023 at 6:30 p.m., during the international photography fair PARIS PHOTO. The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation organises the exhibition series annually in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Paris.

‘PARASITES!’ comprises photographic positions that illustrate how a young generation of artists is dealing with the diverse challenges of our present through their work, research and experimentations. The term ‘parasites’ plays a central role in this case: as a reproach from the right-wing populists against artists and as an expression of deep incomprehension for their work. With both irony and intelligence, the students from Ricarda Roggan's class revolve around this term and the question of the meaning of freedom of art today. Their reactions and interventions are as multifaceted as the current reality is complex. Photography is used in analogue, digital and generated form and accompanied by both performances and sculptural objects. Their perceived alienation sharpens the eye for details that are quickly overlooked in everyday life and constantly refocuses it.   

In Mexico, for example, Leonard Elfert finds bizarre hybrids of vegetation and radio masts whose origins are hard to clarify. Jerry Ahn, on the other hand, withdraws to her room for three days and packs everything she finds there in inexpensive wrapping paper. And Fatih Cimdiken leads us into the dramatic landscape of his homeland as a centaur and turns Turkish children's songs into sombre chants.

With the exhibition series “La jeune photographie allemande”, the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation and the Goethe-Institut Paris have been promoting young photographers at German universities since 2018, showing current trends in photography. Each year, students from a selected university or academy are invited to present their work in an exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Paris. After a presentation by Martin Liebscher’s photography class at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach (HfG) in 2018 and one by Heidi Specker’s Master’s students at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig (HGB) in 2019, Adam Broomberg’s and Oliver Chanarin’s photography class at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK) in 2021, Beate Gütschow’s photography class at Kunsthochschule für Medien in Cologne in 2022 and students from Ute Mahler and Marit Herrmann at the Ostkreuzschule Berlin followed in 2023.

The participating artists are:
Jerry Ahn, Fatih Cimdiken, Franz Leonard Elfert, Einan Kaku, Yeliz Kiliçaslan, Anne Lara Kraft und Jakob Mayer, Paula Laible, Seonha Park, Yun Park, Naomi Semma, Laura Seyferle, Theo Wiederkehr.

Notes for the editors:
The press tour for the exhibition “PARASITES!” takes place on 7 November 2023, at 5 p.m. at the Goethe-Institut Paris, 17 Av. D‘Iéna, 75016 Paris, France in the presence of the artists. It will be followed by the opening of the exhibition at 6:30 p.m.

Please find an overview of the press images for the exhibition here. We will be happy to send you press images in print quality on request.

Information for visitors: 

The exhibition will be open for visitors at the Goethe-Institut Paris until 15 January 2024. For more information, please visit the institute’s website. 

Address: Goethe-Institut Paris, 17 Av. d'Iéna, 75016 Paris, France

Media contact:

Isabelle Hammer
media.foundation@deutsche-boerse.com
Tel. +49 69 21117014

About the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Frankfurt/ Main, dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. The Foundation is responsible for the development and presentation of the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, whose 25th anniversary it is celebrating this year. The collection now comprises over 2,300 photographic works by around 160 artists from 35 nations. The Foundation shows several public exhibitions a year in its exhibition space in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main. It supports young artists through awards, scholarships or the annual talent programme of the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Foam. Together with the Photographers' Gallery in London, it awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize every year. The Foundation also works on exhibitions with international museums and institutions, as well as creating platforms for academic dialogue and research on photography. 
www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org

About the Goethe-Institut Paris

The Goethe-Institut Paris focuses on the presentation of photographic positions from Germany. The aim is to offer a first platform to German artists or artists living in Germany who are still little known in France. The focus is to connect German and French artists, partner institutions and galleries. Special attention is paid to the expansion of the medium of photography and the demonstration of innovative, experimental, and process-oriented approaches. In addition to classical photographic works, exhibitions show video works, sculptures, and installations. 
www.goethe.de/ins/fr/fr/sta/par.html