What concerns people in eastern Germany? 35 years after reunification, the exhibition shows two photo series which look at eastern Germany from an eastern German perspective. They examine the question of how people relate to their homeland, where traces of the GDR remain visible and where places are changing.

In her series “Staying”, the photographer Sophie Kirchner from Berlin portrays young men in eastern Germany since 2021 and also interviews them: they talk about going, staying and returning, about political developments and their involvement in clubs and sub-cultures.

In his photo archive ”Central German”, Philipp Baumgarten documents between 2005 and 2022 everyday situations and snapshots chiefly in his home town of Zeitz. He observes what remains constant and how places in rural areas undergo change at the same time. 

The photos are shown together for the first time. This interplay creates an inventory of eastern Germany.