4 May – 30 June 2024

NEVEN ALLGEIER

Two heavens as one

INBETWEEN

Photography

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With “Two Heavens As One”, the Kunsthaus Göttingen presents the first institutional solo exhibition of the German photographer Neven Allgeier (*1986 in Wiesbaden, lives and works in Vienna). Spread over two floors, the exhibition provides a comprehensive insight into Allgeier’s work. On display are photographs from the series “Fading Temples”, which was published in book form by Distanz Verlag in 2021, as well as new works that are being presented to the public for the first time.

“Fading Temples” combines portraits of young people with environments – images of nature and landscapes, urban spaces, still lifes and interiors. The juxtaposition and playful alternation between these different photographic genres creates an impressive and moving panorama of a generation of young people who have grown up with the climate crisis, pandemic, war and social media. The portraits and the environments linked to them tell a sensitive and unagitated story of Generation Z’s attitude to life and the state of our planet. At first glance, the protagonists in Allgeier’s pictures appear tired and relaxed, as if they have just finished a long party, and the landscapes with their soft light and gentle colors evoke idyllic images of nature. The way in which Allgeier depicts the young people and their surroundings, however, harbors a fragility that is always subtle and ambiguous. The orange light behind the trees could be a forest fire, the roaring surf and threatening cloud formations signs of a natural disaster.

Sooty cars tell of air pollution, wilted sunflowers of decay and transience. This dystopian mood is also reflected in the faces of the young people. Even if current crises and developments give little hope for the future, the people portrayed seem to confidently and naturally claim an area for themselves that they can freely shape: their appearance, their bodies, their gender identity, their self-expression. Neven Allgeier’s works deal with numerous current issues of our time and impress with their unconventional approach to the aesthetic possibilities and questions of contemporary photography.

The more recent works, which can be seen in the second room, tie in with “Fading Temples”, but place the photographic focus more strongly on individual images and sequential image sequences.In this way, Allgeier not only develops his artistic expression further, but also creates new perspectives and places his themes in a different context in terms of form and content.

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Download exhibition flyer here.

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Image left: Courtesy of the artist