Arno Fischer (1927-2011) was once described as the “best-known unknown photographer of the GDR,” which he sometimes flirted with. In fact, Arno Fischer was not only an important pioneer of photography in the GDR, he was one of the great photographers of the second half of the last century. His book “Situation Berlin,” in which he documented everyday life in the divided city around 1950 as if in passing, was already perdu in 1961 before it was published: According to the GDR cultural bureaucracy, there was no longer a “Situation” after the construction of the Wall began, and the project was scrapped. In 2001, it was published after all. Arno Fischer was a chronicler of his time and a role model for the next generation. As a teacher and professor in Berlin, Leipzig and Dortmund, he sharpened the view of several generations of students.
The ifa’s holdings include 127 of Fischer’s works. They come from the touring exhibition “Arno Fischer. Photography”, which has been shown at 28 locations worldwide since 2009. On Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, starting at 7 p.m., students of the Merz Akademie and photography professor Anja Weber, a former student of Arno Fischer, will talk with artist Maximilian Bauer, who has taken some of the works in the exhibition out of storage. Interested parties are cordially invited to participate in this roundtable discussion with dinner and drinks.
