Ausstellung "Menschenbilder | Zeitgeschichte. Der Fotograf Joachim Giesel" in der GAF Hannover

In the organizer's words:

For over fifty years, the Hanoverian photographer Joachim Giesel (*1940 in Breslau) has been capturing the political, social, economic and cultural development of the Federal Republic of Germany in his documentaries, series, portraits and advertising shots. In its historical caesuras and social transformations. In its prosperity and its stuffiness. In its beauty and diversity. And the focus is always on people. Giesel accompanied Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Hanover in 1965, mingled with the mourners at Benno Ohnesorg's funeral in 1967, attended the legendary soccer match between the GDR and Brazil in the Lower Saxony stadium in 1974, created a gallery of chancellors from Konrad Adenauer to Helmut Kohl, photographed a series of mentally ill people, staged captivating portraits of Franz Beckenbauer to Udo Jürgens, Max Frisch to Doris Dörrie, Louis Armstrong to Rudolf Augstein. In the tradition of August Sander, his photographs give us fascinating insights into West German society across the generations, between prefabricated housing and single-family homes, between assembly line workers and drag queens, between Swan Lake and nudism. They are thus contemporary documents of German history. By searching for the "picture behind the picture", Giesel's images of people are fascinating for their aesthetic diversity, technical brilliance and unmistakable presence, making the photographer an important figure in the history of German photography after 1945.

Giesel is involved in various functions as a curator, teacher, publicist and functionary for the dissemination of photography in the Federal Republic and has taken part in over 75 exhibitions in Germany and abroad. In 1972, together with photographer friends, he founded the spectrum Photogalerie in Hanover, one of the first photo galleries in Europe, which staged almost 100 exhibitions. Since 2022, his work has been scientifically researched in the Joachim Giesel Archive.

In this retrospective, Giesel's oeuvre will be presented for the first time in its thematic and aesthetic diversity and analyzed against the backdrop of current discourses. An accompanying catalog will be published by Hirmer Verlag.

The exhibition "Menschenbilder | Zeitgeschichte. The Photographer Joachim Giesel" was created under the direction of Rickie Lynne Giesel (Joachim Giesel Archive) and Prof. Martin Schieder (Leipzig University) in collaboration with students from the Institute of Art History at Leipzig University.

Public guided tours
Thu-Sun 11 am and 6 pm (without advance reservation)

Group tours
for 1- 20 persons (with advance reservation: office@gieselarchiv.de)

Meet the artist
Every Saturday from 3-5 pm, photographer Joachim Giesel will be present in person at the exhibition and will be happy to answer your questions.

Artist talk
Thursday, June 4, 7 p.m.: Panel discussion with Joachim Giesel

Long Night of the Museums
Saturday, June 6, 6 pm - 2 pm: extended opening hours
6 pm: Guided tour through the exhibition
7 pm: Guided tour in dialog with Joachim Giesel
8 pm: Meet and greet with the photographer Joachim Giesel over a drink