Size Matters

Scale in Photography

1 Feb – 20 May 2024

Size Matters

Date

1 Feb – 20 May 2024

Location

» Kunstpalast
  • Admission: 16 € / concessions 12 €

  • Children / young people under 18: free

  • Members of Friends of the Kunstpalast: free

Any tinkering with size in an image is bound to alter our perception of it completely: objects are accentuated, plucked out of context, magnified and reinterpreted. They draw closer, inviting scrutiny, or dissolve into a blur before our eyes. Size Matters: Scale in Photography illuminates the significant and often overlooked semantic shifts that accompany changes to scale in photography.

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Kathrin Sonntag, Dinge im Hintergrund #4, 2022
Kathrin Sonntag, Dinge im Hintergrund #4, 2022



Of all media, photography is the most adept at adjusting its scale; it can effortlessly expand to become a large-size image on a museum wall but is equally capable of shrinking to a thumbnail on a smartphone screen. It creates miniatures of the world, depicting things both life-size and larger than life, making the invisible visible.

Alex Grein, Prunus Laurocesarus, 2018
Alex Grein, Prunus Laurocesarus, 2018

The exhibition shows how it is precisely this unique ability to navigate dimensions that explains the effectiveness of the medium in cultural, social and political contexts. Artworks from the late 19th century to the present encourage contemplation of the implications of size for how we perceive and interact with photographic images. The presentation draws on the Kunstpalast’s own collection and is enriched by national and international loans that complement the curated selection of works.

Curator: Linda Conze, Head of the Photography Collection, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf

Artists:


Bernd und Hilla Becher, Kristleifur Björnsson, Karl Blossfeldt, Georg Böttger, Renata Bracksieck, Natalie Czech, Jan Dibbets, Josef Maria Eder und Eduard Valenta, Leonard Elfert, Claudia Fährenkemper, Hanna Josing, Alex Grein, Andreas Gursky, Franz Hanfstaengl, Erik Kessels, Heinrich Koch, Jochen Lempert, Rosa Menkman, Duane Michals, Joanna Nencek, Floris M. Neusüss, Georg Pahl, Trevor Paglen, W. Paulcker, Sigmar Polke, Seth Price, Timm Rautert, Sebastian Riemer, Amanda Ross-Ho, Evan Roth, Thomas Ruff, August Sander, Adrian Sauer, Morgaine Schäfer, Hugo Schmölz, Karl-Hugo Schmölz, Katharina Sieverding, Kathrin Sonntag, Lucia Sotnikova, Simon Starling, Clare Strand, Carl Strüwe, Andrzej Steinbach, Julius Stinde, Anna Stüdeli, Wolfgang Tillmans, Moritz Wegwerth, René Zuber

Paloma Varga Weisz, Beulenmann, 2020, Foto: Deborah Eisinger
Paloma Varga Weisz, Beulenmann, 2020, Foto: Deborah Eisinger

Photo Competition Giveaway


Become part of the exhibition


Simply transform yourself, your loved ones or objects from your everyday life into giants or dwarves on purpose!
With a bit of luck, your photo will not only be featured on our social media channels, but will also be displayed within the exhibition.

You can win a “Size Matters” exhibition catalogue along with two admission vouchers, which will be raffled off and given away to the most creative entry once a month during the exhibition (February-May).

Send us your most unusual photos by email to gewinnspiel@kunstpalast.de, or direct message or tag us in your post on Instagram @kunstpalast. Good luck experimenting turning standards upside down! We are looking forward to seeing your photos dropping in.

Catalogue

The catalogue, published by Distanzverlag, comprises 116 pages and 92 illustrations.

Museum edition: 29,80 €
Book trade edition: 36 €

The catalogue will soon be available in our shop.

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