What do we see when we look at other people's photo albums? As we leaf through such albums, we follow the rhythm of memory itself: fragmented, repetitive, full of associations and gaps. Even if the people or places depicted are unknown to us today, the photographs often seem strangely familiar. The exhibition at Main Space explores this resonance between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the past and the present, memory and photography. It brings together historical photo albums from its own archives with works by contemporary artists and photographers, connecting different temporal levels and conceptual artistic approaches.

This dialogue makes it clear that memories are not neutral, but performative and selective. Anchored in a historical moment, they are shaped by the economic and political conditions of the time. Our personal memories are therefore not only our own—just as photographs are not unmediated representations of the past. When we look at them, we embark on a search for clues to find a supposedly “real” past.

The artists and photographers address both the emotional and time-specific facets of photography: its promise of familial continuity, the illusion of a realistic representation, and its potential to create social belonging while simultaneously excluding others. The artworks not only reflect the processes visible in historical albums, such as collecting, organizing, removing, and repeating. Above all, they make it clear that these processes are a creative act shaped by the desire to remember and retell, as well as by forgetting.

Artists: Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Tina Barney, Bieke Depoorter, Jim Goldberg, Lebohang Kganye, Dayanita Singh, Jiro Takamatsu, Fiona Tan, Karine Zenja Versluis, Gillian Wearing

A catalog in German, English, and Dutch will accompany the exhibition.

We offer you the opportunity to discover the exhibition with an audio guide.