June 1 - September 1, 2024

Municipality Gauting

The municipality of Gauting is delighted to announce the Gauting International Photo Summer 2024 this summer from June to September. Visitors are cordially invited to enjoy three extraordinary exhibitions in the open air in the idyllic town hall garden. Impressive photographic works await you, inviting you to linger, admire and reflect. Admission to this cultural event is free.

Gauting-based photo artist, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online photography magazine tagree.de Michael Nguyen has been invited to curate the event. He was awarded the Günther Klinge Culture Prize of the municipality of Gauting in 2021 for his outstanding achievements in photography. Michael Nguyen was a member of the jury for the URBAN Press Award 2023 alongside Magnum photographers Alec Soth and Jerome Sessini.

Better Days: Seunggu Kim / KR

Seunggu Kim's work has received international recognition and is represented in prestigious collections worldwide, including the Museum Hanmi in Korea and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. His work has been featured in major media outlets such as the New York Times and CNN.

The Color of Absence: Fran Forman / USA

Fran Forman is an award-winning artist whose extraordinary photographic paintings are exhibited in numerous prestigious museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Selfhood: Vicky Martin / UK

Vicky Martin, an award-winning photographer from the UK, is known for her conceptual portraits that blur the boundaries between fantasy and reality and foreground the female experience. Her work offers insights into the complex and nuanced facets of femininity through the recurring motif of obscured eyes.

Exhibition: Better Days

Seunggu Kim / KR

Hanok Swimming Pool, 2017
© Seunggu Kim, courtesy Rathaus Gauting, Michael Nguyen

Seunggu Kim’s “Better Days” is not just a series of photographs; it is a narrative journey into the heart of South Korean society. The series skillfully documents contemporary life, where the pursuit of happiness meets the reality of societal expectations. Through vivid images that juxtapose urban landscapes with moments of leisure, Kim reflects on the concept of leisure and leisure spaces in South Korea. “Better Days” delves into the nuances of how urban spaces are used for brief escapes from the bustling city life, revealing the artist’s contemplations on finding balance and harmony in a fast-paced society.

“Better Days” offers a deep insight into today’s life in South Korea, seen through the eyes of one of its most innovative photographers. The exhibition not only showcases the artist’s outstanding skills in documentary photography but also reflects on social developments and the collective pursuit of a better life in cities. It encourages reflection and exchange on topics such as community spirit, identity, and the quest for happiness.

June 2024 | 1.6. - 29.6.2024, Opening: Saturday, 1. Juni 2024, 11 a.m

Artist contact: kimseunggu@gmail.com

Exhibition: The Color of Absence

Fran Forman / USA

Yellow Curtain
© Fran Forman, courtesy Rathaus Gauting, Michael Nguyen

"The Color of Absence" uses fantastic images to illuminate the theme of absence, which manifests itself in many contradictory forms - longing despite closeness, loneliness within the sunny illusion of domestic tranquility, shadows on a sunny day and realism paired with illusion. In her series, Fran Forman combines and manipulates, alters and fuses photographs with painting, reality with fiction - whatever it takes to tell the story. Each image is carefully constructed digitally over many weeks by assembling and mounting (usually non-professional) models, costumes, figures, objects and backdrops like a stage set. Shadows and light, often constructed digitally, become the main actors in the picture.

July 2024 | 30.6. - 3.8.2024, Opening: Sunday, 30. Juni 2024, 11 a.m

Artist contact: info@franforman.com

Exhibition: Selfhood

Vicky Martin / UK

WhiteRabbit
© Vicky Martin, courtesy Rathaus Gauting, Michael Nguyen

The series is inspired by the proverb “the eyes are the window to the soul” and a desire to challenge the need to see the eyes (and therefore the “soul”) within a portrait photograph. Each image disguises the eyes of the subject in order for the viewer to find a connection with the character and narrative without the visual stimulation of the eyes.

The photo series depicts the female quest for an independent identity, which is here communicated through external appearance, clothing, and posture, thereby questioning the common practice of judging a person’s character through eye contact. Each image tells its own story, connected by the common motif of concealed eyes, and provides insights into the multifaceted and nuanced aspects of femininity.

“Selfhood” utilizes elements of fantasy and references to traditional fairy-tale characters as well as modern heroines to portray the spectrum of female experiences and identities. From Snow White to Sleeping Beauty, from Alice to Offred, the series pays tribute to these strong, yet vulnerable, female personalities. By concealing the eyes, the traditional symbol of soul and identity, Vicky Martin reveals the internal conflict between a woman’s own femininity and society’s stereotypical expectations.

August 2024 | 4.8. - 1.9.2024, Opening: Sunday, 4. August 2024, 11 a.m

Artist contact: vickymartinphoto@mac.com

FOTOCULT Blog by Glaphyra Gusenbauer