Miron Zownir is one of the most radical photographic chroniclers of contemporary times. In unsparing black-and-white photographs, his works depict the reality of social upheaval. 

The BrotfabrikGalerie presents a selection of the German-Ukrainian artist’s early photographic work for the first time in Berlin. On view are images portraying society’s outsiders taken between 1978 and 1983 in the five major cities of London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and New Orleans. 

While empathy for those portrayed is palpable throughout, Zownir’s encounters with ‘invisible’ people in the streets employs a cinematic visual vocabulary to illustrate lethargy and desolation as well as personal self-assertions of (physical) existence under inhumane conditions. He points to society’s diversity, to those living close to the edge, and shows us a reality that, although oppressive, also encourages us to understand and change social conditions. Zownir’s timeless images reveal capitalism’s effects and contribute to shaking its foundations.

Vernissage: 3rd March 2023, 19—23 h.