CHAUSSEE 36 Photography, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Heinz Hajek-Halke’s first photomontages, the group exhibition “Metamorphosis” celebrates the Berlin artist’s early work (1925-1935), rediscovering it and bringing it together with works from a range of contemporary photomontage and collage artists.
Heinz Hajek-Halke (1898-1983) is an important photographic artist of the 20th century. While his abstract, camera-less works of the 1950s and 1960s explored the limits of the medium in a radically new way, the beginning of his career was equally marked by photographic experimentation.
Between 1925 and 1935, he specialised in photomontages, which he designed freely or published in the illustrated press and as part of advertisements. Inspired by the aesthetics and special effects of silent film, Hajek-Halke set out in search of new visual forms and, during this period of intensive experimentation, explored complex techniques such as capturing a sequence of movements on a single plate, the multiple exposure of several negatives in the enlarger or in the camera as well as the photo collage. A selection of vintage prints from this period, both famous and rare works from the Heinz Hajek-Halke Collection, can be discovered in the exhibition alongside later prints. These unreal images were particularly attractive to magazines for their originality and entertainment value, and have made Hajek-Halke one of the most sought-after “special effects photographers” in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. His two favourite motifs, the portrait and the female nude, form the basis for surprising experiments: whole faces and cropped bodies lose their identity when superimposed with various motifs such as street scenes, dilapidated house facades, cabaret scenes or graphic patterns. The metamorphosis works marvellously in this play of dreamlike associations.
Many of Heinz Hajek-Halke’s photomontages have gone down in the history of photography and continue to inspire today’s generations of image-makers. In addition to rediscovering the artist’s early work, this exhibition builds a bridge with current forms of composite images, ranging from cut-and-paste photo collages to digitally edited montages.
Exhibited artists:
Matthieu Bourel, Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Mayumi Hosokura, Noé Sendas, Eva Stenram, Miriam Tölke, K YOUNG
Curated by: Mathilde Leroy
In cooperation with: Brandei Estes
An exhibition organised as part of the EMOP Berlin – European Month of Photography 2025: https://emop-berlin.eu/en/exhibition/metamorphosis/60fe6818-cb04-43e0-87bb-339095322d7c/
Heinz Hajek-Halke : Metamorphosis
March 1 – May 3, 2025
CHAUSSEE 36 Photography
Chausseestr. 36, 10115 Berlin
https://www.chaussee36.photography/metamorphosis
Opening: Friday, 28 February 2025, 7 – 9 pm
Opening hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 1 – 6 pm
Special opening hours during EMOP-Opening Days: Sunday, 2 March, 1 – 6 pm
