Photo City Düsseldorf
Last November it was finally confirmed: the German Photo Institute is coming to Düsseldorf. The plan is to establish a photography centre of excellence in a city that can not only look back on a long tradition of this art form, but also has a lot to offer on the entrepreneurial side.
Düsseldorf is a city of art and photography with many exciting museums, where internationally important photographic art is shown time and again: e.g. the exhibition “Untold Stories” by Peter Lindbergh, which was shown in the Kunstpalast in 2020.
The final decision on the location took three years and was marked by many, above all controversial, discussions at the political level: should the German Photo Institute (DFI) either be located in Essen, Düsseldorf or even in both cities? Yet the application for funding for the DFI, now totalling 86 million euros, which the state capital of Düsseldorf submitted to the Budget Committee of the German Federal Parliament in October 2019, was approved just a few weeks later. Why the former Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grütters, had nevertheless vehemently advocated Essen as the seat of the DFI can only be speculated and is probably no longer of any relevance now.
The initial idea dates back to 2008, when the then Lord Mayor Joachim Erwin gave the impetus to underline the importance of the medium of photography in Düsseldorf and involved the artists Andreas Gursky and Thomas Ruff to this end. The possible vacancy of a museum building on the grounds of the Hombroich Island Foundation in Neuss started a new process and an intensive exchange with various artists and experts. The aim was to create an international centre of excellence for photography geared towards the general public. The first concept with the title “Deutsches Fotoinstitut” (German Photo Institute) was developed; finally, in September 2019, the inaugural meeting of the “Verein zur Gründung und Förderung eines Deutschen Fotoinstituts e. V.” (Association for the Foundation and Promotion of a German Photo Institute) took place, in which photo artist Moritz Wegwerth was elected as chairman of the board.
What exactly is behind the concept of the German Photo Institute? “In France, the Netherlands, Switzerland or the USA, there have long been central institutions dedicated exclusively to the medium of photography with its special challenges. They take on mediation tasks, cooperate with educational institutions, research, collect, restore, and thus work sustainably – preserving for the future. In Germany, there is expertise and specialisation in various places and institutions, but there is still no such central institution – an aggregator,” explains Moritz Wegwerth.
With the DFI, he says, an internationally and interdisciplinarily operating research and innovation centre directed both at the professional world and the public is planned; the fact that the term “institute” refers to a scientific context is thus obviously desired.
„In Germany, there is expertise and specialisation in various places and institutions, but there is still no such central institution – an aggregator“
The impetus and focal point for Düsseldorf's development into a photo city was and continues to be the Kunstakademie, which has decisively shaped the importance and perception of photography as an artistic medium.
The history of photography is closely linked to the state capital; many artists have been dedicating themselves to this subject in Düsseldorf for many years. This has resulted in an internationally unique network of teaching, production, processing and presentation of photography, according to the City of Düsseldorf. The impetus and centre of this development is the Art Academy, which has decisively shaped the significance and perception of photography as an artistic medium. This is not only reflected in the many galleries located here and in the art market, but also in numerous companies that also receive international orders due to Düsseldorf's importance as a photography location.
Large technology companies such as Epson and Eizo as well as leading global suppliers of photography technology such as Nikon, Canon and Fujifilm are also represented in the region. In addition, there are many medium-sized companies: “That's why the cultural office is working on an offer for networking photography-related companies,” explains Miriam Koch, the city of Düsseldorf's councillor for culture and integration.
„Many well-known national, but also international artists come to Düsseldorf to have their photos produced by us“
The photo laboratory Grieger developed the Diasec® process, in which a print of a photograph is created and then sealed behind an acrylic glass plate. Many international artists therefore have their works produced in Düsseldorf. Here you can see the photographs of Christian Tagliavini.
One of them is photo lab Grieger GmbH, which was founded in Esslingen over 50 years ago. Markus Hemesaat is the sales manager here. “We started with advertising photography, prints and exposures for companies like L'Oreal and at some point decided to open another location in the advertising and fashion city of Düsseldorf,” he says. In the early 1980s, Grieger then developed the Diasec® process, in which a print of a digital or analogue photograph is created and then sealed behind an acrylic glass plate without bubbles. “At first, we used Diasec® mainly in the field of advertising, until eventually artists became very aware of it, not only in Düsseldorf,” Markus Hemesaat explains. More and more of them have been working with Grieger in recent years, and in the meantime the company has specialised almost exclusively in this clientele. “Many well-known national, but also international artists come to Düsseldorf to have their photos produced by us.” The city is definitely a very important location for art in general and photography in particular. Moritz Wegwerth sees it very similarly. That's why he himself chose Düsseldorf and to study at its Art Academy. “In the first class for artistic photography, many students studied with Bernd and Hilla Becher, who later became successful with their photographic works. This had a great influence on the art market,” Miriam Koch is also certain.
Accordingly, in May 2021 they filled Germany's first coordinating position for photography, which played a leading role in the publication “Düsseldorf and Photography”. “Even after the publication, this research work still offers an important fund for further consideration and exploration of Düsseldorf as a photographic location,” explains Miriam Koch. To this end, the office conducts discussions with the various actors in the field of photography, but also with teachers and representatives of the business community.
Another important issue for the DFI is to preserve the art of photography. “What will be left of the many photographs in 300 years? My guess is: not much. Important information is therefore permanently lost or destroyed, carrier materials and storage media were simply not developed for eternity. In order to ensure that analogue, hybrid or digital photographs are preserved for the future, technical standards, types of digitalisation, classification systems, image rights or sustainable materials must be researched and put up for discussion,” explains Moritz Wegwerth. This is why it is so important in our “strongly photography-driven world” to maintain both a conscious as well as critical approach to the medium. •
„What will be left of the many photographs in 300 years?“
In 1976, photographer Bernd Becher founded the first photography class at a German art academy; together with his wife Hilla Becher, he subsequently taught at the Düsseldorf Art Academy for 20 years. Photo: Bernd and Hilla Becher, Ensdorf mine, Saarland, 1979.
Words Katja Vaders
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