"That‘s my world" (We better stay home - but pictures may travel)

Award winning photography from all around the world will be presented at APFELWEINGALERIE Frankfurt, Germany. In close cooperation with TAGREE.DE, the Online Magazine for Photography and Art, a selection of 21 international photographers were invited to an exhibition. Photography from countries as far as Taiwan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Palestine, Jordan, Kenia, the US and Australia will be coming to Frankfurt to be shown in the exhibition "That‘s my world". 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITED ARTWORKS

1. Marcel van Balken / The Netherlands

Balloons by Marcel van Balken

Artist impression of the surreal atmosphere in an old, in decay and no longer used bathhouse. A characteristic, abandoned location with some sort of bath in each room. In this room there was a bathtub to stand in (tube). Only the stairs were gone. The only way to escape from this bath was with balloons. Just like in the mysterious bathroom next door.

2. Hardijanto Budiman / Indonesia (Nikon Ambassador)

A Cliche Metaphor About Me and The Mirror by Hardijanto Budiman

“I really love Surreal world! I use photography as medium to express my imagination into pictures. This Picture is a Surreal Metaphor tells about how people reacts in various different ways to express their emotion when they play the Game.”

3. Nicoletta Cerasomma / Italy

The sound of the ocean by Nicoletta Cerasomma

Nature elegantly connected in quiet solitude moments is documented through the ocean, desert and glacier peacefulness. The viewer experience the meditation enhanced by the sense of timeless and the enchanting atmosphere. Snow and ice dominate the landscape. The surreal arctic life of scientists and coal workers leave sporadic traces of their existence. This scenario freezes the memory of silent moments in extreme northern lands , where human harsh existence is. These image was taken in the Svalbard Archipelago , remote areas where people often live in isolation and in close contact with nature.

4. Gigi Chung / USA

Cylindrical Coordinate by Gigi Chung

A geometric abstraction study of parallel lines and circular cross-section, accentuated with light and shadow play.

5. Paul Clemence / USA

The Tree by Paul Clemence

In life and in art, it's all about how we frame things.

6. Fran Forman / USA

Surveillance by Fran Forman

"I am indebted to many artists, such as Caravaggio, the 17th century Northern European painters of interior scenes, to Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Gregory Crewdson, and the great cinematographers of film noir who use slashes of light to create an aura of mystery."

Olmec Sunlight, after Hopper by Fran Forman

"I am particularly influenced by the mid-century American painter Edward Hopper, and this image is my homage to him."

7. Hermann Fuchs / Austria

popart No 2 - 2018 by Hermann Fuchs

A slightly imprecise serial series of spray cans leads to the question: what is the dominant color?

8. Donell Gumiran / Philippines

Burqa by Donell Gumiran

The silhouetted figure in Burka facing off with both her shadow and the huge eyes staring back at her, against an apocalyptic, fiery sky. It’s a brilliantly composed scene which finds something cinematic and symbolic, and highly relevant in today’s political climate, in what is an unexpected setting – a Guinness World Record attempt in Dubai for the biggest collaborative graffiti painting in the world, Distilled the scene down to just these two women, and in doing so highlighting and celebrating them, in a part of the world where women’s rights are so contentious.

A symbol of tradition and religion, the burqa covers the face of muslim women to signify modesty and high regard to Islamic femininity though it covers more than half of the face, the glamour and elegance of a muslim woman would always exude and cannot be hidden behind the burqa. A scene which finds something cinematic and symbolic.

9. Seunggu Kim / Korea (South)

Mulbit Park by Seunggu Kim

"Balancing natural and unnatural elements in the frame, Seunggu Kim highlights the societal ironies embedded in contemporary Korean life. In the large-scale images of his project Better Days, Kim shows people enjoying leisure activities in crowded scenes, the cityscape of Seoul looming in the background—people work so many hours and have so few vacation days that they’re unable to travel very far. 'People are sincere, optimistic, and dynamic,' Kim says. Crowds enjoy their limited time off amongst one another, camp alongside each other, assist each other in taking group photos, maintain a watchful eye over children in a swimming pool. This enduring sense of community—possibly a fantasy, definitely a dream in the era of pandemic—reminds us: is there anything more important than living happily together?" Text by Allie Monck, Aperture Foundation

Bengal Tiger by Seunggu Kim

"This image is immediately arresting – the bright orange and black stripes of this Bengal tiger center-frame prominent against the white sheets of ice that surround it. The glass box that encases it then emerges, along with the other creates center-left and bottom-right – could they be penguins? – and we realize that this is an artificial scene. Seunggu describes the context – a winter festival in South Korea where water is sprayed to freeze the trees, and this stuffed museum tiger stands as the main attraction – a mise-en-scène for tourists to enjoy, based on an old local story. Photographed in this context it describes a gloomy reality, this rare and endangered animal pulled out of its natural habitat and confined to a glass box, symbolic perhaps of the way we humans have pushed it to the edge of extinction through poaching and destruction of its forests and grasslands. It roars in rage and helplessness, preserved only for our enjoyment." Text by Life Framer

10. Franc Lacorte / Philippines

Boundary by Franc Lacorte

Boundary - Sometimes we build our own boundary, sometimes we jump out of it. A boundary could be a beginning, or it could be an end.

11. Ligin Lee / Taiwan

The junction of light and color by Ligin Lee

The light came from above and met me and you. Only a few seconds later, when our rendezvous became a verse in the universe, the soft white composes a gentle melody, and immediately disappeared. Goodbye my love, even if there is only a short reunion.

Meditation Love Song by Ligin Lee

I take a step forward, you take a step back, the irregular interactions, like continuous ups and downs of meditation, dancing cha-cha in beautiful colors.

12. Shuchuan Liu / China

Moving Train by Shuchuan Liu

Towards civilization by Shuchuan Liu: Located at the Shinbashi area of Tokyo. The train shuttles between the tall buildings, reflecting a kind of near-future feeling.

13. Vicky Martin / United Kingdom

Sunday Best by Vicky Martin

"The inspiration for this photograph came from the idea of how the colours of red and white are associated with traditional female stereotypes. White signifies purity, innocence and virginity, while red symbolises promiscuity, temptation, sin, and often also fertility. The white dress depicts the idea of the female body being perceived as needing to be 'spotless', yet the red gloves and the striped hat demonstrate the paradox of a woman being expected to conform to two juxtaposing ideals. The inability to see the woman’s face behind the hat evokes the idea of the female being invisible in society, lacking recognition as an individual, as they are valued only in terms of their sexuality and reproductive capacities. The idea of combining this symbolism with the title 'Sunday Best'- which embodies the idea of wearing your best outfit to church on a Sunday - is a construct intended to invite reflection on the question of does what we wear define who we are, who are we trying to be, how are we perceived?"

14. Yves Noir / Germany

Lost #3 by Yves Noir

"Lost is not merely a space, but also a condition. Inner loneliness. The forsakenness that summons those last sparks of strength to rise. At the lowest depth lies the old beginning, waiting like a mantle for days filled with doubts. Testing whether skin and muscle remain, whether the body can still play along. Ironing out uncertainties in one's head. Concentration. Collecting the rhythm of days and nights." Text by Katharina J. Ferner / Eng. Translation: Jon Cho-Polizzi

15. Samson Otieno / Kenya

Students from Olympic primary school playing during brake time in Kibera by Samson Otieno

Olympic primary school is a govrnment-run primary school in Kenya. It is a day school. This education institution is an ordinary and mixed type of institution.

16. Fadwa Rouhana / Palestine

Faces of Jerusalem by Fadwa Rouhana

The photo selected is part of my series "Faces of Jerusalem", It was taken in 2019 in the old city of Jerusalem. The photo can be a visual image of the human journey in time, but for me, in the context of the whole series, it reflects the way the people of East Jerusalem are observing their reality, how their own city, landscape, homeland and heritage are being constantly changed, deformed and slipped away. "Faces of Jerusalem" is my own testimony about the daily life of those who live under a prevalent threat of being displaced.

17. Ibrahim Nabeel Salah / Jordan

Multiplicity by Ibrahim Nabeel Salah

The picture was taken from the old city of Amman... When I took it, I felt like I was inside a movie or a serial story. Feel the gradient inbuilt, the amount of illuminated windows. You feel the stories and thousands of ideas come to your mind.. lighted windows and many ceilings under each roof, a woven story inspired by reality may hold one of them. The tragedy of what no one lives or a bunch of hopes behind the bright light of windows .. I called pluralism. Because she inspired me with many hopes..and dreams..and stories..and you, viewer, will multiply your feelings..

18. Jack Savage / United Kingdom

Silencio by Jack Savage

This image is part of my series of politically charged photo collage, comprising of studio portraiture & mixed media elements, presented in a style reminiscent of contemporary street art and painterly works. The series is united by the common theme consisting of protest against racial injustice within British society. People of colours voices are often silenced particularly within politics, and underneath the current of popular culture, the depth and tonality within the work reflecting this. The image was inspired and influenced by the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and by the tragic death of George Floyd.

19. Martina Singer / Germany

Flower with hat by Martina Singer

The photo focuses on turning away from the viewer in connection with a partial exposed view of the back. The viewer is attracted almost like a geisha. The protagonist seduces without giving anything away. The mystery of being a female.

20. Robin Yong / Australia

Mama Havanna by Robin Yong

A simple street portrait of an Afro-Cuban lady smoking a cigar. This is one of the most iconic figures at Old Havana. Someone told me her name was Esperanza. Unpretentious, proud and simply badass, she is the representation of the traditional Cuban style.

21. Tales Yuan / China

Chongqing, Nanping Metro by Tales Yuan

Childhood by Tales Yuan

From the series Memories... The amusement park hides the past of childhood.

Chongqing, Suburb by Tales Yuan

With rapid economic development in recent years, Chongqing, the largest municipality in China, has rapidly expanded its urban area, and with it has come an explosion of rail transit. These rail lines extend from the city's hinterland to the city's far-flung suburbs to be developed. My series Urban Arteries, which captures scenes along rail lines, intends to explore the tremendous impact of rail transit on the urban landscape, people's lives, and economic development.