Laurenz Berges

There's nothing better than discovering the work of someone who you were previously unaware of, and that you subsequently thoroughly enjoy. This is the case for me with the work of German photographer Laurenz Berges, a former student of Bernd Becher at the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf. Berges extensively photographed the abandoned military barracks that once housed the Soviet Army during the years of the Nazi regime. His deceptively simple compositions are imbued with striking natural light, often bringing an air of hope to his otherwise melancholic imagery. Berges' work speaks to a culture's history that, much like these structures that stand vacant, strives to be forgotten. The subtle traces of human experience captured in Berges' photographs address how memory, whether of a personal or cultural nature, is preserved in photographic form.









From Top to Bottom:

Potsdam V 1994

Wünsdorf II, 1994

Hannover, 2005 (# 2282)

Cloppenburg, 2006 (#2383)

All Images © Laurenz Berges