exhibition

Close Distance is a group exhibition of OKS seminar students that combines various visual expressions and methodologies to engage in the real world. Projects traverse various themes from portraits of women in a state of pregnancy, collaborative portraits of prisoners, derive wanderings on foot around the Berlin Ringbahn, expressions of solitude in the rain, tender and sensual connections of women in nature and re-conceptualised press photographs from the archive of the photographer. The diversity of projects is evident, yet each is an attempt to move closer to the exterior world via the interior world of each photographer.

Unearthed
Reimund Belling
For many years, the street photographer from Oldenburg showed little interest in his hometown and only captured a few pictures. However, for a long-term book project, he recently delved into his archive, searching for pictures he had taken since the 1980s but never printed. Reviewing his old contact sheets became more than just a local time travel experience; with a fresh perspective, certain pictures took on new meaning in a photographic sense. In the exhibition, Reimund Belling showcases several examples of his exciting new interpretations of these old contact sheets.
SothA
Henryk Boeck
How narrow or wide is the line between people who are in prison for serious crimes and those of us who live our free lives outside? How do these people live in prison, what does their everyday life look like and who are they? Photographer Henryk Boeck deals with this question in his series SothA. SothA is the abbreviation for Sozialtherapeutische Anstalt. It is part of Berlin’s JVA Tegel and people with a positive social prognosis serve sometimes very long sentences there. Many things are different here than in the usual penal system. There are therapeutic offers, counselling, vocational training and opportunities for artistic and creative leisure activities. But still, it is and remains a prison with convicted criminals. What does it look like there? What kind of people do you meet there? The photographer pursued this question during a 1-year photo project. While he was working on his own photographic position, he also initiated a photography course for the prisoners. They were taught the basics of photography and created their own works, which are also part of the exhibition.
Femmes II
Séverine Lenglet
Photographer Séverine Lenglet continues her exploration of the theme of women’s identity and motherhood. After a first series on the idealisation of the role of mother, she devotes her current project to pregnancy. The new photo series “Femmes II” was born out of an exchange with several pregnant women about the physical, psychological, social and relational changes they experience and how those influence their life in transition towards motherhood and their identity as women and mothers-to-be. During each photo session, the photographer guided these women and their significant others on an inner journey, retracing the highlights and feelings of this phase of their lives, revealing the sensitivity, strength and courage needed to give life.
Kalt und Feucht
Tijana Mirjacic
Tijana Mirjacic explores a subtly impactful feeling in her photo series—an altered reality shaped by loneliness that influences our perception of the world. She captures a certain gaze, a particular way of seeing. Always avoiding direct confrontation yet expressing a strong longing to be a part of it all. Observing from within, as though watching life through a window, like scenes unfolding on a screen.

Dog’s Head Introspection
Daniel Montenegro
In my project, I aimed to capture the hidden beauty of the Ring Bahn, a place often overlooked by commuters as just wasted time. I found a poetic undercurrent in the everyday scenes, inviting a fresh perspective on daily journeys. Amid an age of increasing isolation, the Ring Bahn becomes a paradox where personal solitude meets collective existence. This journey started externally but became introspective, unveiling new dimensions within the familiar. It’s a reflection of our times, offering profound insights in the mundane.