Pompeii has actually been “photographed out”. But now the internationally renowned architectural photographer Hans Georg Esch and his team are opening up astonishing new perspectives on the over 2,500-year-old Roman city, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, with an “architectural eye”.
Image above: 12 HGEsch The architectural view – Pompeii HGEsch / Ministero della Cultura. Parco Archeologico di Pompei
For the first time, the exhibition presents more than 80 of these magnificent photographs of the best-preserved remains of Roman antiquity, taken through the eyes of 21st century witnesses. In addition, a 22-minute animation of the photos takes visitors back to ancient Pompeii. The once lively and bustling, then buried and now ruined urban structure becomes more tangible than ever before. Known for its iconic images of the architecture of global mega-cities, the HGEsch team’s photographic work in Pompeii shows the excavated sites as part of today’s metropolis of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvius and illustrates the parallels and connections between ancient urban planning and our urban living space today.
HGEsch’s photographs reveal much about the life of the people in the city through the urban fabric and architecture depicted. The photographs also document their similar and therefore comparable structures to today’s metropolises. The works of the precisely observant photo artist and his team not only capture the beauty of the ancient city, but also reveal the vulnerability of the human habitat. They thus invite the viewer to engage with the history of the place and its significance for modern urban development. It is clear to see that Pompeii is not just history for Hans Georg Esch, but an immersive present. He shows the ruins, which are separated from the present-day city, as a functioning area in itself, but nevertheless as part of the metropolis of Naples and the surrounding landscape of Campania. This architectural photographic approach opens up a new perspective on this important world heritage site in the south of Italy.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING ON SEPTEMBER 05
Hans Jürgen Commerell Aedes, Berlin
Silvia Martina Bertesago Head Archaeologist, Pompeii Archaeological Park
Wolfgang Filser Archaeologist, University of Copenhagen and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Hans Georg Esch Photographer and founder of HGEsch, Hennef
The front exhibition space in the Aedes Architecture Forum is dedicated to several spectacular large-format photographs and a film-like animation of photos by HGEsch, which immerse visitors in historical Pompeii. Around 80 photographs of buildings and structures can be seen in the rear exhibition room in an earthy shade of red typical of Pompeii. In addition, a large-format aerial photograph taken with the help of drones provides an overview of the ancient city, its order and structures, as well as the links to modern-day Pompeii. Until now, these could only be seen on the giant model in the National Museum in Naples.
Aedes kicks off a series of exhibitions and presents around 80 photographs from the Pompeii series. This will be followed by exhibitions in Cologne from September: at the Italian Cultural Institute and in the Belgian House on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Roman-Germanic Museum. During ART COLOGNE, HG Esch’s Pompeii Rotunda will be on display in the square in front of the main entrance to the Cologne Trade Fair. The 360° panorama shows today’s Pompeii – the Parco Archaelogico as well as today’s city – as an urban part of the Naples metropolitan region.
HGEsch, founded by Hans Georg Esch (*1964), is one of the leading international studios for architectural photography of our time. In 2022 and 2023, HGEsch was awarded the Architecture Photography MasterPrize at the Guggenheim Museum and in 2023 was recognized as the best company for architectural photography and film worldwide at the Loop Design Award. Esch and his team lend scenic imagery to the built environment. In doing so, they have created countless iconic views of the global architecture of our time. As contemporary witnesses to the megacities of our world – their urban and landscape structures – they have been portraying a variety of urban contexts for over 30 years. With the Pompeii series, Hans Georg Esch and his team present a completely new view of the city, which for centuries has revealed more buried secrets than any other place in our cultural sphere.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: Friday, September 06 – Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Opening: Thursday, September 05, 2024, from 6:30 pm
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 11 am – 6.30 pm, Sunday – Monday 1 pm – 5 pm
WHERE?
Aedes Architecture Forum
Christinenstraße 18-19
10119 Berlin
