Stopover 20/21: Anne-Christine Stroje und Özlem Arslan

25.2.2021

»Stopover« – einmal jährlich stellen unter diesem programmatischen Titel die Studierenden im M.A. Photography Studies and Practice ihre aktuellen Arbeiten im UG des Museum Folkwang aus. In Form eines Zwischenstops sollen Einblicke gewährt und soll zu einer Diskussion eingeladen werden. Im Katalog finden sich neben den fotografischen Werken auch kurze Texte, die direkt an die Bilder adressiert sind. Verfasst wurden sie von den Studierenden des M.A. Photography Studies and Research. Hier schreibt Özlem Arslan an Anne-Christine Strojes Serie »Der Geruch von Sommerregen«.

Where and Who

Where are you from? – A question one is being often asked when meeting someone new. Actually, it is not the origin one is being asked to reveal by this question, but rather one’s identity. So, the conversation deepens, one question leads to another, and time flies without realizing it. Such conversations can set different emotions and feelings, such as unity, familiarity, and even magic.

Today, I met you and experienced all of that. You are photographs depicting nature and man-made, day and night, past and present, and most importantly, colors. Latter attracted my attention the most. I recognize the color blue, different kinds of greens, orange, and many others. The sky, the trees, the plants, the grass, the sand all reveal their true colors to me. Their honesty allows me to feel and to imagine their smell. I imagine myself being there, reliving what I believe to see.

Though, there is one color carrying itself through nearly all of you which reveals much more than any other color to me: the color blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean. The color associated with stability, serenity, and wisdom. Through this color, I get to know the people returning my gaze in some of you. I find out about the value of man-made. Just like the glasses depicted in one of you. They are fragile, but yet present and significant. 

In between all of your colorfulness, there is also a part of you whose colors have faded. Looking at this part of you, in which you let the objects come forward, you unveil a glance at the past, to me. The past is a distant memory. It leaves traces within and is formative. It lets me feel nostalgic and takes me to a state of thoughtfulness.

You reveal a world to me. A world shaped by memories, people, and realities. You let me explore the roots, discover an essence and touch a soul. You give a new meaning to the expressions ›where‹ and ›who‹. So, there is nothing left to say for me other than I am pleased to meet each and every one of you!