Hafen is a collection of large scale panoramic photographs made in Hamburg. The view from the HWF Galerie is of the Hafen and the perfect location for this particular exhibition.

"Whenever I came to Hamburg to see editors I went to the harbour. I was fascinated by the scale and aesthetic beauty of the place as well as what it represents in terms of human achievement and ingenuity." Paolo Pellegrin

Paolo Pellegrin was born in 1964 in Rome. He studied architecture at the Università la Sapienz… more

Axel Beyer ist ein Hamburger Fotograf, der in den 80er Jahren eine Reihe von leeren Straßenszenen der Stadt dokumentierte, die sich 40 Jahre später als außergewöhnliche Aufzeichnung eines sich ständig verändernden städtischen Raums erweisen. Wir sehen in Beyers Fotografien Details, die für immer verloren sind. Das Fotografieren in Farbe war zu dieser Zeit nicht üblich, und der "unbekannte" Axel Beyer kann sicherlich als ein früher europäischer Farbpionier des dokumentarischen Genres b… more

An empty square in a small town: almost devoid of people, and those who are there are either very old or very young. There are no sights to see, only empty storefronts, slow decay, and—if you’re lucky—a touch of morbid charm. It is the kind of place that you only come to by chance, and you are compelled to ask yourself: Who is here when I am not here—and why?

According to the definition of the Imperial Office of Statistics in 1887, which is valid in Germany to this day… more

The Essence of Architecture is inspired by the writings of the philosopher Alexander García Düttmann:

What is this? This is the essence of architecture, revealed to the eye of a gentle donkey. In an unlucky strike – it is all the photographer’s fault – the eye morphs into a glaringly dead pupil reproduced on a cigarette box. But why is this the essence of architecture? Because the architect pulls himself together and makes it pile up. She places layer upon layer, creates a s… more

"I have to like the people I photograph. I need to feel an attraction, a fascination." — Bertien van Manen

Buried deep in Bertien van Manen's images is an intimacy between photographer and subject. The viewer trespasses on the private moments in the frame, catching a glare over breakfast, unheard words between friends, both party to the action and intruding on it.

Between 1991 and 2009 van Manen travelled across Asia and Eastern Europe with a small, analogue camera, lear… more

Maybe you can’t really go back home.
But this is where I’m from.
These images pay homage,
to the people and landscapes that are my origins.
I’ve returned to something my body and emotions recognize.
JH Engström

"From Back Home" and "Sketch of Paris" are two bodies of work that firmly represent the duality of place for Swedish photographer, JH Engström (b.1969), who has, from an early age lived in Paris and the countryside o… more

Procession is a meandering process that follows an invisible subject along the trajectory of the ancient road called Iera Odos, stretching 18km from Athens to Elifsina. Procession is a search for meaning by physical effort, with the foot bearing the weight and firmly on the ground, treading across the periphery of a varied urban terrain tangled up with fragments of nature. This is not a tale of two cities but rather the space in-between. An equivalence of opposing elements.

Michael Grieve is … more