Review of Freddy Langer: "Harte Blicke, stille Städte und ein Fotograf, der zur Rakete wird"

Freddy Langer has been documenting the development of the photo book in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung since December 9, 1980, offering a unique retrospective spanning four decades. His reviews capture a medium that combines visual impressions and text passages and places them in a contextual framework. Langer's ongoing engagement with photo books thus creates a multi-layered art concept that is bundled in book form and at the same time embedded in the zeitgeist and art historical discourse. His work classifies the photo book as an artistic and cultural object and reflects on its relevance from the perspective of contemporary art history.

The 351-page publication is published by Steidl-Verlag and represents 133 artists from Langer's numerous publications since 1980 in order to provide a diverse cross-section of the photobook scene in terms of the changes over time. The result is a perspective that provides space for both very well-known artists and photographers who are less established in the art canon to represent positions that are detached from the individuals and also exclude intersectional disadvantages from other perspectives in the photo book.

Langer's view is characterized by many years of dealing with the subject matter and a large visual memory, shaped by his view as a student of American studies, film and television studies, which sensitized him to the diverse medium of photography. Langer began collecting at an early age, acquiring photographs as a student that later focused on street photography.

In addition to the receptions, the publication is contextualized by the foreword by Martin Parr, who outlines a perspective on the development of the importance of photo books and defines them as a work in their own right. Parr presents photo books as an integral part of exhibition concepts. Photo books make it possible to create a portfolio through the various works that they present, allowing the works in the book to communicate with and reinforce each other. Parr, born on May 23, 1952 and known as a British documentary photographer, is a central figure who has elevated the photo book into the artistic discourse. Together with Gerry Badger, he set the tone with the series The Photobook: A History, which was first published in 2004 and contributed to the boom of the photobook. Their works offer a comprehensive representation of the worldwide photobook scene, from Europe to Asia and Africa, and bear witness to a rich photographic diversity. The photo book defines itself as an independent artistic medium and retrospectives can no longer be imagined without it. 

The publication is also supplemented by an interview with Freddy Langer from 2017, which was published in an abridged version in the magazine "Fotogeschichte". This interview provides insights into Langer's biography and his artistic views.

The photobook is receiving increasing institutional recognition and support, particularly thanks to the initiative of curator, bookseller and publisher Markus Schaden, who opened the PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne in 2014. This museum pursues a concept that is unique in Europe and is dedicated exclusively to the photobook, highlighting the interfaces between photography, literature and academic debate. In this way, the photo book is not only gaining in importance on a reception level, but is also being further strengthened by institutional framework conditions. In this context, the publication Harte Blicke, stille Städte und ein Fotograf, der zur Rakete wird joins the continuously evolving history of the photo book. 

The publication is significantly influenced by the Steidl publishing house, whose founder Gerhard Steidl, born in Göttingen in 1950, was awarded the Culture Prize of the German Society for Photography (DGPh) in 2024 for his publishing activities. Since 1994, Steidl has dedicated its own photo book program to the photo book and has thus created a cooperation between the publishing house and artists that sees the printed medium of photography as an additional mediating instance and thus creates a deeper connection. It brings together many of the most renowned contemporary photographers and artists, including Joel Sternfeld, Bruce Davidson, Robert Frank, Robert Adams, etc. This connection opens up new dimensions of reception and intensifies the dialog between photographic work and book design on a scientific and aesthetic level. 

The renowned photo artist Thomas Kellner, who was born in Bonn and now lives in Siegen, is also featured in the reviews written by Langer. Kellner is known above all for his seemingly dancing architecture, which he creates using his technique of contact sheets. The works break with our viewing habits with regard to architecture, which is strongly anchored in our visual memory, and create a longer dwell time for the viewer. Kellner studied art, sociology, politics and economics at the University of Siegen. In 1996, he received the Kodak Young Talent Award, which prompted him to pursue his artistic path further

In his analysis of the photo book Thomas Kellner - Black & White 1997-2005 (published in 2016, 104 pages), Langer takes an in-depth look at Kellner's technique and artistic intentions. He uses iconic motifs such as the Eiffel Tower in particular as a starting point to shed light on the specific dynamics and aesthetic complexity of Kellner's work. Langer interprets the pronounced momentariness, the simultaneous deconstruction and construction of the buildings as a visual fragmentation that suggests a new form of movement. He also draws connections to the architecture of Daniel Libeskind, whose buildings also exhibit an energetic dynamic that, similar to Kellner's photographs, questions conventional structures and reveals a modern approach to the reception of architectural objects. In addition to the contextualization of architecture, there is also a connection to music, as Langer describes it as if it could be a melody. In this way, he integrates Kellner's works into a discourse that captures photography in a sectoral way.

The publication Thomas Kellner - Black & White 1997-2005 brings together not only the photographic works of Siegen-based artist Thomas Kellner, but also critical essays by Harris Fogel, which place Kellner's work in contemporary discourses. Fogel discusses the conceptual approaches and visual strategies that characterize Kellner's photographic practice. In addition to the text contributions, the design of the publication has a decisive influence on the reception of the works. Graphic artist and media designer Marc Babenschneider, who was born in 1971 and has many years of professional experience, is responsible for the layout. After training as a typesetter and media designer, Babenschneider ran his own graphic design office for over 15 years, specializing in projects for regional companies, cultural institutions and artists. His clients included Thomas Kellner, for whom he conceptualized and designed numerous publications over the years. Since 2019, Babenschneider has been working as a graphic designer at PSV NEO in Siegen, where he continues to deepen his own artistic practice as a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Siegerländer Künstlerinnen und Künstler e.V., particularly in the field of abstract informal painting.

Kellner's photo books are produced and published in close cooperation with the publishing house seltmann+söhne, which is managed by Oliver Seltman. Seltman is not only a typographer and art director, but also comes from a family with a long tradition in printing and lithography. The family's history is reflected in the artisanal ethos of the publishing house, which Seltman founded in 2004 with the aim of publishing art and photo books of the highest quality. Since 2008, seltmann+söhne has established itself as an international publishing house for photography and art.

It is clear that Langer has already increasingly engaged with Kellner. In his article Dein Haus ist mein Spielzeug (Your house is my toy) from June 29, 2021, Langer devoted himself to Kellner's reinterpretation of the so-called Becher Houses. This series was commissioned by the Museum für Gegenwartskunst and deals with the documentary tradition of the Becher School, which Kellner transforms by staging the buildings in a new way. Langer emphasizes that Kellner's method makes the buildings appear isolated. It is described how the buildings seem to float in their surroundings, which questions their embedding in the real urban space and at the same time deconstructs them in a poetic way.

This shows that Langer and Kellner have already come into contact several times on a receptive level. Langer has opened up new perspectives and contextualizations. In his review Harte Blicke, stille Städte und ein Fotograf, der zur Rakete wird, Kellner is embedded in a dialog with other artists, whereby his works are viewed in an expanded context.

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