ALLEMAGNE mon Amour

Reality is what we want to see. It is subjective as much as it is perception. We decide who we are and how we live. Life is the result of decisions taken by us and by society. The landscape of our country and the shape of our cities is a consequence of how we cope with history and heritage. Photographs that we take (be it mass or class) are a result of the reality which we build around us. And photographic images are the result of the photographer’s decisions: to get close or to keep distance, to include aspects or to hide them, to criticize or to applaud, to confront or to comment.

The German photographers Joachim Hildebrand and Tom Parland take their decisions: they show aspects of today’s life in Germany – the way they see it. Their photographs form a multifaceted portrait of Germany’s "blossoming landscapes" – with a reality of its own: a country in permanent transition built on the shadows of its past. A country between urban functionalism and rural escape. They approach their subject with sympathy and humour, rather than with criticism. And they use very different languages to talk about their homeland. An interpretation of uninspiring residential architecture revealing a certain beauty contrasts the somewhat poetic surroundings of peoples’ lives.

www.joachim-hildebrand.de
www.tomparland.com