Everyone Taking Photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in the Jena City Museum
Date and Time
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
When Everyday Images Become City History
The exhibition Everyone Taking Photos? Everyday and Amateur Photography in Jena at the Jena City Museum opens a view into an image world that is simultaneously personal, social, and cultural historical. From September 4 to December 30, 2026, historical photographs from museum collections, private archives, and photo clubs meet current works from social media.
Photography as Memory and Social Bond
Photography has long been part of everyday life. The exhibition asks what images reveal about people, a city, and the time of their creation. Photography appears not only as a technical practice but as a creative means of expression, medium of memory, and form of communal understanding.
From Analog Photo Circles to Digital Image Culture
The exhibition traces the development of local photo culture from the beginnings of amateur photography through the photo circles of the GDR to today's image practices in social media. The historical change is visible in the analysis of works as well as in the different materials, image formats, and aesthetic choices.
UNIFOK Jena and the Photographic Everyday History
Particular attention is paid to the long-established photo circle UNIFOK Jena e.V., which has shaped the photographic scene of the city since the 1960s. Its members open their archives and present selected works. The photographs tell of people at work, in their leisure time, and in public space, simultaneously making social changes visible.
A Nationwide Research Project in the Museum
The special exhibition is part of a nationwide research and transfer project on amateur and everyday photography. Involved are, among others, the Institute for Saxon History and Folklore in Dresden, the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology at the University of Göttingen, the University of Jena, the Technical Collections Dresden, and the LWL-Museum Henrichshütte in Hattingen. The scientific curation combines cultural historical research with cultural education.
Participate and Contribute Your Own Perspective
Accompanying events and participatory formats extend the art experience. At the photo competition Discovering Jena – My Favorite Place or View, visitors can contribute their own photographic perspectives on the city. Thus, the exhibition itself becomes a living archive of shared perception.
Conclusion: An Art Experience between Intimacy and Contemporary History
The exhibition atmosphere at the Jena City Museum invites a concentrated aesthetic experience: Familiar everyday scenes appear new, private images gain social significance, and historical photographs engage in an exciting dialogue with the present. Anyone who wants to understand how images shape our seeing, thinking, and remembering should definitely visit this exhibition live.
Official Channels of Jena City Museum:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- Website: https://www.stadtmuseum-jena.de/de/1041194
