In its second edition the international photography triennial RAY 2015 presents outstanding positions of contemporary photography. This unique collaboration highlights the collections and institutions in the field of photography in Frankfurt am Main and the region.

From June 20 until September 20, 2015, the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, the Museum Angewandte Kunst and the MMK 1 Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main are collectively showing the central exhibition of RAY 2015 “IMAGINE REALITY”. Six curators of different institutions and collections have created this exhibition with 28 artists, who use fragments of reality to their source in order to create imaginary and visionary worlds.

Today’s unlimited possibilities for producing and manipulating images have opened a multifaceted spectrum for capturing and interpreting these scenarios of transformation. Visual worlds have emerged that testify our present day and point to our future at the same time. How can we or how would we like to see the world today? How does the abstraction or the deconstruction of everyday realities generate new perspectives both through and in photography? How do the artists use visual languages to go beyond the documentary? In what ways do they reflect upon the philosophical and existential aspects of the human and material condition of our time? The exhibition introduces artistic propositions that free themselves from the claims of authenticity and question the flood of private and public images. Real and virtual space, documentation and staging penetrate their expressions and lead to an expansion of reality.

With all of the various processes and possibilities of the medium, this exhibition shows what these artists have in common. Their images transform the environment into a world in which reality and fiction, facts and illusion are inseparably woven together.

Next to the exhibition Imagine Reality, RAY 2015 supports 12 artists’ new productions and nine further partner projects in Frankfurt and the Rhine/Main region.

With the various processes and possibilities of photography, this exhibition shows what these artists have in common: their images are rooted in the transformation of environments into worlds where reality and fiction, facts and illusion are inseparably woven together. The artists of RAY 2015 use photography to create new realities in addition to capturing them.

RAY 2015 is an initiative of Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and a collaboration between Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, Sammlung Deutsche Bank, DZ BANK Kunstsammlung, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Opelvillen Rüsselsheim, Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft für Fotografie e.V. im Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus, Museum Angewandte Kunst, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Museum Wiesbaden and NKV Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden.

Artists of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”

Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Sophie Calle, Klaus Elle, Lucas Foglia, Cinthia Marcelle, Maix Mayer, Sanaz Mazinani, Hans Op de Beeck, Kathrin Sonntag, Anoek Steketee

MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst
David Claerbout, Cristina De Middel, Klaus Elle, João Maria Gusmão & Pedro Paiva, Annette Kelm, Yamini Nayar, Miguel Rio Branco, Simon Starling

Museum Angewandte Kunst
Sonja Braas, Barbara Breitenfellner, Jonas Dahlberg, Jan Paul Evers, Joan Fontcuberta, Beate Gütschow, Barbara Kasten, Abelardo Morell, Viviane Sassen, John Stezaker, Jan Tichy, Wolfgang Zurborn
RAY 2015 is an initiative of Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and a collaboration between Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, Sammlung Deutsche Bank, DZ BANK Kunstsammlung, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Opelvillen Rüsselsheim, Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft für Fotografie e.V. im Stadtmuseum Hofheim, Museum Angewandte Kunst, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Museum Wiesbaden and NKV Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden.

Publication
Accompanying the photography triennial RAY 2015 a book with texts by Anne-Marie Beckmann, Peter Forster, Peter Gorschlüter, Elke Gruhn, Jule Hillgärtner, Beate Kemfert, Alexandra Lechner, Celina Lunsford, Clemens Meyer, Franziska Nori, Luminita Sabau, Gregor Schuster, Matthias Wagner K, have been published at Kehrer Verlag. It is available during the exhibition for 25 EUR.

RAY 2015 opening weekend events

Saturday, 20 June 

3pm Gallery talk in the exhibition with Lucas Foglia, Maix Mayer, Sanaz Mazinani, Kathrin Sonntag and co-curator Celina Lunsford at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt

6pm Artist talk: “The American Wild” with Lucas Foglia at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt

8pm Panel discussion: “The Art of Surveillance” with artist Trevor Paglen

Organized by the Frankfurter Kunstverein in collaboration with the Goethe University Frankfurtin in context of the exhibition Trevor Paglen. The Octopus

Sunday, 21 June 

11:15am  Opening: Sascha Weidner. Photography at the Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft für Fotografie e.V. at Stadtmuseum Hofheim

2pm  Award ceremony: The Cultural Prize 2015 of the German Association of Photography (DGPh) will be awarded to artist Trevor Paglen at Frankfurter Kunstverein

Special Events @ Fotografie Forum Frankfurt

The following events taking place at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt are part of the triennial IMAGINE REALITY RAY 2015 Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain.

Saturday, June 20, 2015, 3 pm
Artists talks with Lucas Foglia, Maix Mayer and Kathrin Sonntag, artists of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”

Saturday, June 20, 2015, 6 pm
LECTURE “THE AMERICAN WILD”
Lucas Foglia, US, artist of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”
The lecture will be held in English.

Friday, June 26, 2015, 6 pm
LECTURE “CATCH”
Wolfgang Zurborn, DE, artist of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”
The lecture will be held in German.

Saturday/Sunday, June 27/28, 2015, 10 to 6 pm –fully booked– &
Saturday/Sunday, October 10/11, 2015, 10 to 6 pm
WORKSHOP IN TWO PARTS “DAS FOTOBUCH – BASIC UND ADVANCED WORKSHOP”
Markus Schaden, bookseller and publisher, DE & Wolfgang Zurborn, DE, artist of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”
The workshop will be held in English.

Saturday, July 4, 2015, 6 pm
LECTURE “S/Z”
Beate Gütschow, DE, artist of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”
The lecture will be held in German.

Saturday/Sunday, July 4/5, 2015, 10 to 6 pm
WORKSHOP “FACT?”
Beate Gütschow, DE, artist of the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY”
The workshop will be held in English.

Guided tours through the exhibition “IMAGINE REALITY” every Wednesday, 6pm.
Guided group tours on request.

Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Braubachstr. 30–32
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Museum Angewandte Kunst
Schaumainkai 17
60594 Frankfurt am Main

MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Domstraße 10
60311 Frankfurt am Main

http://www.ray2015.de