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NOTE: click here for the new permanent page for Behind Walls. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands Submissions are welcome. Read more about how to submit. Behind Walls - Eastern Europe before November 1989 Main exhibition Almost twenty years ago the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall changed the world. But until 1989 the walls stood firm. In the communist days of the old East Bloc countries there were a number of talented photographers active whose work could not reach the audience it deserved because of censorship, repression and the Cold War; not locally and definately not in the West. Even after the changes, their work remained mostly unseen outside of their own countries. Where the present generation of photographers travel freely and use the internet to bring their work to a world-wide audience, this was not the way of the older generation. Their work wasn't supported by others: it was 'old' and reminded of 'before', something to leave behind the Curtain. The gaze of those in power as well as the cultural field was to the newly begotten freedom and a new future. There is a growing awareness that this gap in history needs to be filled. Working closely with local advisors - curators and photographers with an intimate knowledge of photography from that era - Noorderlicht investigates how photographers worked under repression. For the first time an comprehensive image will be shown of photography in all the countries that were part of the former East Bloc. Could criticism be found in subtle symbolism, that slipped past those in control? What was going on in 'underground' art movements? What was allowed, what was not? Can we even imagine nowadays that certain images could not be shown? What about escapism, searching for creative freedom in very personal expression? How do the situations in different countries relate to eachother? Can we see a turnaround in photography moving towards - and during - the big year 1989? What hidden gems can be uncovered from past times? These are some of the questions that Noorderlicht is looking into. Additional exhibition 1 The photography published during the Cold War was carefully directed by those in power and breathed their propaganda. Many photographs did not pass the test and now for example fill the archives of the former secret police. The contrast between propaganda photography (including images in which unwelcome elements were retouched) and photography that could not be shown is the theme of the the first additional presentation. Additional exhibition 2 What does the former Eastern bloc look like twenty years along? The majority of the countries in question have joined the EU, capitalism rules, the streets have changed beyond recognition. The second additional presentatie focuses on the present day. Working field 'Behind Walls' concentrates on the area between Moscow and Western Europe, those nations that fell under the influence of the Kremlin in times of the iron curtain, but now search to engage themselves with the West rather than the East. Work from the following countries will be presented: * Eastern Germany (DDR) Possibly supplemented by: * Western part Sovjet Union (now: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova) * Yugoslavia (now: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia) * Albania Submissions from Western photographers are also welcome. This 15th Noorderlicht festival is the fifth and last of the series with a non-Western region-theme, that is being held in Leeuwarden since 2000. Starting 2010 the event will take a new approach for bringing non-Western photography to the attention of the West. Submissions and suggestions are welcome. The deadline for submitting work is 1 April 2008. |
