Galerie Kuchling is proud to present the exhibition “Abandoned”. Running concurrently with the “5th European Month of Photography Berlin”, there is nothing more fascinating than viewing something that may once have been a center of power or simply the shelter of a common family. Daring a gaze at abandoned ruins calls for both: the feeling of nostalgia for that which is no longer, as well as the respect and pride for what still remains.
The photographers Jan Elhøj and Morten Kirckhoff were as boys fascinated by the old abandoned buildings. Driven by their addiction and the excitement for exploration, years later they decided to travel the world capturing images in countries like Denmark and Russia. Whatever country they entered the intention was crystal clear: to live and feel history. Walking thru this historical structures, they faced darkness, silence and then experienced what they call a “disturbing” peace.
Their photographs mirror the quiet life of a forgotten universe, plunging the viewer into the world of factories, hospital and private houses. All these places have something in common: their forms are familiar, except they’re missing the pulsation of life itself. Despite this fact, they are not completely dead. In “Abandoned”, Elhøj and Kirckhoff bring back to life, what is considered by most to be long dead.
Closing one’s eyes, one may imagine the young boys playing “explorers” together in their own backyards: “Our curiosity to know what lays behind the painted walls was too powerful to resist and as we cycled around on our BMX bikes like two adventurers, our knowledge of derelict sites in the area became more and more extensive. Each time we found a new abandoned place, we had the same feeling: it gave us a buzz of excitement to walk around all alone in an abandoned building. The only sound was your echoing footsteps, and all your senses were sharpened. The adrenaline coursed around in our blood as we walked from room to room, soaking up impressions of the place.”
Exhibition from NOVEMBER 2nd – NOVEMBER 23rd, 2012
ARTISTS
