BJP #7871: Hamburg Triennial of Photography

In a first for BJP we have partnered with the Hamburg Triennial of Photography this issue, catching up with the festival’s artistic director Krzysztof Candrowicz and examining the festival’s theme Breaking Point: Searching for Change. “For Krzysztof, photography provides a pertinent tool for examining these big subjects,” writes BJP’s editor Simon Bainbridge, “not just as a visual document of environmental emergency or hi-tech Armageddon, but as a tangible, thought-provoking exploration of transition.”

From the 320 artists included in the festival’s open submissions, we bring you our favourites – including Salvatore Vitale and his project on Switzerland’s obsession with security, which scrutinises the ways in which it shapes not only the environment, but also the Swiss mentality. Sarker Protick draws our focus towards Bangladesh’s Padma River, offering a stark warning of rising water levels, while Gábor Arion Kudász’s Human is a study of mankind via the metaphor of a humble brick.

 

We highlight more of the thought-provoking work on show in Hamburg in our Projects section, including Carlo Lombardi’s series on an endangered loggerhead sea turtle. Gretje Treiber’s images focus on Hamburg’s former working class districts undergoing gentrification, while Kaja Rata takes us to her Polish hometown in her project Kajnikaj, which restyles the place in an otherworldly light.

We also spotlight the abstract work of Iranian-Swiss artist Shirana Shahbazi, and meet the artists behind 2 Boats, who are taking Hamburg’s waterways in floating studios to promote the festival.

Elsewhere we announce the winners of BJP‘s International Photography Award 2018 – Danish collective Sara, Peter & Tobias for The Merge, a future-sceptic project about artificial intelligence that chimes with the theme of the Triennial. “Technology is moving really fast,” they say, “and the question is whether we can maintain the same pace with our discussions, or is the tech already too far ahead of us?”

In addition we look into what to expect from the upcoming fourth edition of Photo London, which has an expanded remit and extra space this year; and we preview London Nights, a major new photography exhibition opening in May at The Museum of London, which examines the capital after dark through the eyes of 60 photographers – spanning from the 19th century to the present day.

Plus, we chat to Milena Carstens from the German weekly Zeit Magazin, and report back on the Rotolight NEO 2 Kit.

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