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EMOP Berlin - European Month of Photography Berlin

The European Month of Photography Berlin is the largest German festival for photography. Since 2004, it has been taking place every two years in Berlin, presenting a wide range of exhibitions and events on historic and contemporary photography. The festival is organized by Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH in collaboration with museums, cultural institutions, galleries, embassies, project spaces, and photography schools in Berlin and Potsdam.

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary 2014, the EMOP Berlin had an impressive record to its name: 2 million visitors, 500 exhibitions by as many partner institutions, 30,000 photographic works shown, and 2,000 participating photographers.

Eligibility Requirements

Museums, cultural institutions, and galleries from Berlin and Potsdam professionally involved with photography can take part in the EMOP Berlin. Individual photographers are not eligible.

The next EMOP Berlin will take place from September 28 - October 31, 2018.

Jury Statement

In early April, the jury of the 7th EMOP Berlin, made up of Frank Wagner (curator), Dr. Matthias Harder (curator of The Helmut Newton Foundation), Ute Mahler (photographer, founding member of OSTKREUZ, professor), Katharina Sieverding (photographer, professor) and Thomas Licek (managing director Eyes On - EMOP Vienna), viewed the 180 submitted proposals and made a highly promising selection:

"The jury was surprised by the large number of exhibition proposals submitted and by their quality, which was often quite high. What stood out most were the many well-researched historical discoveries in photography and the reappraisals of historical material. The percentage of black and white photography was notable, not only in a historical framework, but also among the contemporary projects, perhaps in order to lend recent works a greater historical weight.
The fact that this year’s EMOP does not have an overarching theme has led to a greater diversification of interests culminating in the exploration of personality and private life and the development of personal perspectives and strong individualization. When compared to the last edition of the festival in 2014, it’s amazing to see that there are noticeably fewer examples among the exhibition themes and artistic approaches in which contemporary photography is considered to be a political medium or reflects upon social issues. Furthermore, photography’s interest in traveling the world and making discoveries in countries near and far seems to have slackened somewhat.
A wide variety of criteria were key in the selection and evaluation of the individual submissions: a proposal’s thematic coherence, its curiosity and originality, its artistic qualities, and how convincing the curatorial idea was.
The selection of the participants in the 7th European Month of Photography testifies to a wide variety, not only in thematic and conceptual terms, but also in participating institutions. Formats range from outdoor exhibitions, large-scale museum presentations, and brilliantly researched solo and group presentations in galleries and project spaces to impressive proposals by many of the city’s foreign cultural institutions and embassies as well as municipal offices for art and culture. Also important is the creativity of Berlin’s numerous photography schools, whose participation in the festival is self-evident.
Thus, a fragmentary view arises of the artistic achievements in photography over the past 100 years and of the perspectives and interests of our time—along with all their private ramifications, sensibilities, and discoveries."

Participants 2016

25books •Ÿ Aando Fine Art Ÿ• aff Galerie Ÿ• Akademie der Künste •Ÿ Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung •Ÿ Alte Feuerwache Projektraum Ÿ• Anna Jill Lüpertz Gallery •Ÿ aquabitArt Gallery c/o zettabyte •Ÿ Atelier für Photographie Ÿ• Haus am Kleistpark •Ÿ Bauhaus-Archiv •Ÿ Berlinische Galerie Ÿ• Galerie im Körnerpark •Ÿ Bezirksamt Spandau von Berlin Ÿ• BFF Berufsverband Freie Fotografen und Filmgestalter e.V. •Ÿ Bobsairport •Ÿ Botschaft des Großherzogtums Luxemburg Ÿ• Botschaft von Brasilien •Ÿ Botschaft von Irland Ÿ• Botschaft von Litauen •Ÿ Botschaft von Mexiko •Ÿ Botschaft von Spanien Ÿ• BrotfabrikGalerie •Ÿ BTK - Berliner Technische Kunsthochschule •Ÿ C/O Berlin •Ÿ Camera Work •Ÿ Carpentier Galerie | raum für kunstŸ • Centrum Judaicum •Ÿ Club der Polnischen Versager •Ÿ Collection Regard Ÿ• Collegium Hungaricum Ÿ• COPYRIGHTberlin Ÿ• CUCO - curatorial concepts berlin e.V. •Ÿ DAS VERBORGENE MUSEUM - Dokumentation der Kunst von Frauen e.V. Ÿ• Dencker + Schneider •Ÿ Exile •Ÿ f/16 Schule für Fotografie •Ÿ FOG Platform Ÿ• Fotogalerie Friedrichshain / Kulturring in Berlin •Ÿ Fotomarathon Berlin Ÿ• Frontviews e.V. / Kunstverein Neukölln •Ÿ Galerie Alte Schule Adlershof •Ÿ Galerie Albrecht •Ÿ Galerie Argus Fotokunst Ÿ• Galerie EIGEN + ART •Ÿ Galerie Eigenheim •Ÿ Galerie erstererster •Ÿ Galerie FELDBUSCH WIESNER + Galerie Jette Rudolph Ÿ• Galerie Jarmuschek+Partner •Ÿ Galerie Julian Sander Ÿ• Galerie Kai Dikhas •Ÿ Galerie Koschmieder Ÿ• Galerie La Girafé •Ÿ Galerie LORIS Ÿ• Galerie Mönch Berlin •Ÿ Galerie Nord | Kunstverein Tiergarten Ÿ• Galerie Pankow Ÿ• Galerie Pfundt •Ÿ Galerie Schuster Berlin/Miami •Ÿ Galerie Springer •Ÿ Galerie Sprüth Magers Ÿ• Gallery Taik Persons •Ÿ GEDOK Galerie •Ÿ Gesellschaft für Humanistische Fotografie e.V. •Ÿ Grundemark Nilsson Gallery •Ÿ Grundstücksgesellschaft Franz-Mehring-Platz •Ÿ Haus am Lützowplatz •Ÿ Helmut Newton Stiftung •Ÿ Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach Ÿ• ifa-Galerie Berlin •Ÿ IMAGO Camera •Ÿ Institut Francais de Berlin •Ÿ Instituto Cervantes Ÿ• Istituto Italiano di Cultura Berlino Ÿ• JARVIS DOONEY GALERIE Ÿ• Johanna Breede PHOTOKUNST •Ÿ Katharina Maria Raab Contemporary Art •Ÿ Kehrer Galerie Ÿ• Kommunale Galerie Berlin • Kosmos Rechenzentrum Potsdam Ÿ• Kuckei + Kuckei •Ÿ Kulturamt •Ÿ Kulturamt Steglitz-Zehlendorf Ÿ• Kulturpark 3000 e.V. – Zwitschermaschine •Ÿ Kunsthandel Jörg Maaß Ÿ• Künstlerhaus Bethanien •Ÿ Kunstraum Potsdam C/o Waschhaus Ÿ• Kunstverein Neukölln e.V. Ÿ• Laura Mars Gallery •Ÿ Landesarchiv Berlin Ÿ• Landesvertretung Niedersachsen •Ÿ Landesvertretung Rheinland-Pfalz Ÿ• Leica Camera •Ÿ Lette Verein Berlin •Ÿ Loock Galerie Ÿ• LORIZA Ÿ• Martin-Gropius-Bau Ÿ• Museum für Fotografie •Ÿ Nachbarschaftstreff im Schillerkiez •Ÿ Neue Schule für Fotografie Berlin •Ÿ Niels Borch Jensen Gallery •Ÿ only photography •Ÿ OPEN WALLS Gallery •Ÿ Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie Ÿ• pavlov‘s dog - Raum für Fotografie •Ÿ Photo Edition Berlin Ÿ• Plattenpalast Ÿ• Podbielski Contemporary •Ÿ Projektraum PhotoWerkBerlin •Ÿ Raum für Drastische Maßnahmen Ÿ• Robert Morat Galerie •Ÿ Rumänisches Kulturinstitut •Ÿ Slowakisches Institut •Ÿ Deutsches Historisches Museum Ÿ• subjectobject - ART INVOLVEMENT Ÿ• Tschechisches Zentrum Berlin •Ÿ unterwegs – Antiquariat und Galerie •Ÿ UP Project Space •Ÿ Willy-Brandt-Haus •Ÿ ZeitGalerie - Friedrichshagen

Berlin and its European Partners

The EMOP Berlin is a member of the European Month of Photography (EMOP), a European joint project that includes the photography festivals in Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Paris, and Vienna. Back in 2003, on the initiative of Berlin’s partner city Paris, the idea was born to form a European network of photography festivals. After a cooperation between Berlin, Paris, and Vienna, the capitals Bratislava, Luxembourg, Moscow, and Rome followed in 2006. In 2012, the European photography network was expanded to include Budapest and Ljubljana; Athens joined 2014. 

The goal of the joint project is to foster cooperation on a European level, to strengthen the international photography scene, to intensify the exchange of information and experience, emphasize the interplay between teaching and learning, and support young artists.

The result of this collaboration, among other things, was 2014 a jointly conceived exhibition of contemporary photography, which was then shown in adapted form in each respective partner city of the EMOP network. This exhibition was titled “MemoryLab: The Sentimental Turn.” In Berlin, it was presented at Martin-Gropius-Bau from October 17 through December 15, 2014.

European Partner Cities and Their Festivals

Athens: www.emop-athens.eu

Bratislava: www.emop-bratislava.eu

Budapest: www.emop-budapest.eu

Ljubljana: www.emop-ljubljana.eu

Luxembourg: www.emop-luxembourg.eu

Paris: www.emop-paris.eu

Vienna: www.emop-vienna.eu