josef chladek

on photobooks and books

Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2014, Ostfildern

 

Hardcover, graphic design by Carsten Eisfeld.
An unusual body of evidence, an artistic perspective on the legacy of East Germany’s secret police.
In the archives of East Germany’s Stasi secret police, officially named the Ministry for State Security, there are countless photographs of failed escape attempts at the Berlin Wall. In this visual collage, Arwed Mess­mer (* 1964) presents a selection of these photos and further images of official evidence from the holdings of The Agency of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives. The result is an arresting, complex col­lage of found, retouched, and recontextualized visual records and Messmer’s own photographs—a working method described by photo critic Gerry Badger as “an artistic reevaluation of history.” Twenty-five years af­ter the fall of the Wall, Reenactment MfS takes a new look at a major theme in recent German history, with an alternative approach to understanding contempo­rary history and to the use of photography. With what Florian Ebner describes as “documentary empathy,” Arwed Messmer challenges the authenticity of the documentary image, which is never completely free of “enactment.”

Order at Hatje Cantz.

Pages: 256
Place: Ostfildern
Year: 2014
Publisher: Hatje Cantz Verlag
Size: 17 x 24 cm (approx.)







 Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Front)

Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Front)

 Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Spine)

Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Spine)

 Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Back)

Arwed Messmer - Reenactment MfS (Back)




Sample page 1 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 1 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 2 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

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Sample page 3 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

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Sample page 4 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

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Sample page 5 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

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Sample page 7 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

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Sample page 8 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 8 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 9 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 9 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 10 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 10 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 11 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 11 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 12 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 12 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 13 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 13 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 14 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 14 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 15 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 15 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 16 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 16 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 17 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 17 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 18 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 18 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 19 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 19 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

Sample page 20 for book  Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS

Sample page 20 for book " Arwed Messmer – Reenactment MfS", josefchladek.com

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Hardcover, graphic design by Carsten Eisfeld.
An unusual body of evidence, an artistic perspective on the legacy of East Germany’s secret police.
In the archives of East Germany’s Stasi secret police, officially named the Ministry for State Security, there are countless photographs of failed escape attempts at the Berlin Wall. In this visual collage, Arwed Mess­mer (* 1964) presents a selection of these photos and further images of official evidence from the holdings of The Agency of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives. The result is an arresting, complex col­lage of found, retouched, and recontextualized visual records and Messmer’s own photographs—a working method described by photo critic Gerry Badger as “an artistic reevaluation of history.” Twenty-five years af­ter the fall of the Wall, Reenactment MfS takes a new look at a major theme in recent German history, with an alternative approach to understanding contempo­rary history and to the use of photography. With what Florian Ebner describes as “documentary empathy,” Arwed Messmer challenges the authenticity of the documentary image, which is never completely free of “enactment.”

Order at Hatje Cantz.

Pages: 256
Place: Ostfildern
Year: 2014
Publisher: Hatje Cantz Verlag
Size: 17 x 24 cm (approx.)