#长文创作激励计划#
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
We asked Simon Roberts to tell us about a photo that means a lot to him, and why. Earlier this year, Simon Roberts: Homestead was exhibited at the Flowers Gallery in New York. His photographs are also included in William Ewing's new book Civilization (Thames & Hudson), and a traveling exhibition is on view at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea.
The majesty of silence. This is a description of this wonderful photograph by Joachim Brohm from his "Ruhr" series, taken in the late 70s and mid-80s of the 20th century. Brom was interested in the cultural landscape of the Ruhr region, an industrial region in West Germany that was in the midst of a severe economic recession. The photographs explore the boundaries between urban and rural life and feature sidewalks, fences, and borders. He often photographs people who seek leisure, as a playground landscape.
I think one of the striking elements of this photograph is how Brom's perspective from a high vantage point places the scene in the far ground of the frame, much like a landscape painting. Cautious distance keeps us on the verge of engagement, and as such, we are not part of the action, but detached, critical spectators. There is an element of abstraction here, an image that focuses on the hierarchy of form and space. It is a mediocre landscape, lacking any grand natural or architectural features; However, it is transformed into a picture that provides a myriad of narratives for the keen eye. I was also drawn to Brom's use of pastel tones (this photo was taken with Kodak Vericolor, a low-contrast negative) that gives a general sense of melancholy.
Brom was one of the first Germany photographers to focus on the United States landscape photography of the 70s of the 20th century, and together with members of the Düsseldorf School, he made important connections to United States and European art photography.
—Simon Roberts
A United Kingdom photographer and artist known for his large-format landscape photography and in-depth research.
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
The United States' belief that if photography is to remain responsive to social reality in the long term, it can only adopt a coherent documentary photography language, rather than any form of outspoken criticism, is reflected early in Brom's work. Today, more than 20 years after its appearance, the significance of this work in the history of modern photography is clear. It has formed the central link between United States and Germany photography since 1970. Anyone who looks at the series of images in this book will see that Ruhr is a work of undoubted artistic vitality that will have a lasting meaning, unaffected by all historical coordinates. ”
Heinz Liesbrock, in: Anonymous Topographic Maps. Joachim Brom's Ruhr photo.
Published in Joachim Brom: Ruhr; Göttingen, 2007
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
I'm Joachim Brom, an artist and professor of photography living and working in Leipzig, Germany.
Since the 1980s, my photographic work has focused on urban development and structures on the suburban fringe, including architectural and mobility aspects. In my long-term projects, I create image archives of places and margins related to the transformative forces of urban, economic, and cultural development. Part of my creative process is working with these archives, which can be presented in various forms through exhibitions and publications.
My artistic practice has always focused on the unique qualities of photographic images and their concrete forms, while using contemporary image-making and image processing techniques. Through numerous artistic collaborations with colleagues, curators, and architectural offices, I am developing new visual narratives for projects in a variety of discourses.
I studied with Allan Sekula in Columbus, Ohio as a Fulbright Scholar in 1983-84 and then from Folkwang University in Essen, Germany, and have taught at various academic institutions for most of my life. Since 1984, my work has been exhibited in international exhibitions and has been part of major private and public collections.
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Katewig, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Hattingen, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Hattingen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Hattingen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Hattingen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Katewig, 1981, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Essen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1983, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Bochum, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
Joachim Brohm, Gelsenkirchen, 1982, from the Ruhr series. © Joachim Brohm
***
Exhibition view, Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris, 2024
concerning
Joachim Brohm (b. 1955, Dulken, Germany, 1983 Diploma in Visual Communication/Photography, Essen University of Essen, Germany, 1984, The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States, Department of Photography and Film: Master of Arts.
1987-92 Lecturer at Bielefeld University of Technology (Germany) and Dortmund University of Technology (Germany), 1987-92 Lecturer at Salzburg College, Northern Illinois University (Austria), 1991 Visiting Artist at the Art Institute of Chicago, United States, 2001-02 Visiting Professor at the Zurich School of Design and Art (Switzerland), 1993-2021 Professor of Photography, Leipzig Academy of Painting and Fine Arts/Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts (Germany).