BERLIN.- Mona Breede, born in 1968 in Kiel, Germany, studied Photography in Munich and Karlsruhe. In 1999 she had a solo exhibition in the Goethe-Institute in London and at the same time participated in the extensive group exhibition “Reconstructing Space. Architecture in Recent Germany Photography” in the Architectural Association London, which was accompanied by a catalogue, in addition to exhibitions in France, Austria, China and Russia, among other countries. In 2001 was awarded with the photographic prize “starshots01”, by dit. In 2005 she received an award at Art Cologne with her New York-Panoramas (sponsored booth). She was a participant and speaker at the Darmstädter Tagen der Fotografie 2010 “Jetzt. Die erzählte Zeit”, (Darmstadt Photography Days “Now. Narrated Time”), accompanied by a catalogue.
In the exhibition Berlin - Sedimente einer Stadt (Berlin – Sediments of a City), Mona Breede shows a seismographic picture of our society. Berlin is the location and the backdrop for the complex scenarios. The photographer has captured a wide range of people in numerous streets and squares with her camera and the constellations reflect the increase in social tensions. In a formal sense, a delicate choreographic rhythm always prevails in the works. In this way, the layers and sediments of a city are visualized, together with the cityscapes and architectural references.
The series of four panoramic views of the Berlin wall form their own group of works. Walls as a symbol for separation and boundary setting, and also as an artistic element, have formed a common thread in Mona Breede’s works for many years now. In Berlin the wall is inextricably linked to the history of Germany and the few remains are traded today as relics for tourists or are accordingly set in a new context.
In the artist’s group of works the Berlin Wall is merely a reminiscence, a historical transparency and resonating space for further reflections on walls and the conflict potential that can arise in a society confronted with a wide range of social upheavals. In this way, the work “Mit Sicherheit keine Freiheit” (Freedom cannot be secured), a slogan taken from an advertising poster from the organisation Aktion Mensch, broaches the subject of a conflict in our society in which an increase in surveillance can result in a danger to our freedom.
Formally, the panoramas are made up of many individual image fragments, in which in addition to constellations of people and architecture there are a great number of visual references to graffiti, wall painting or billboards. The interaction of these different image planes and semantic references generate a complex and ambiguous picture of reality. At the same time these configurations create a visual reality that is very appealing.
