Adam Broomberg

Last updated
Adam Broomberg
Adam Broomberg, Photographer.png
Portrait of Adam Broomberg
Born (1970-11-11) 11 November 1970 (age 54)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Years active1986–present
Known forArtist and human rights defender [1] [ better source needed ]

Adam Broomberg (born November 11, 1970) is a South African artist, art educator, and activist currently based in Berlin, Germany. He is the co-founder and coordinator of the NGO Artists + Allies x Hebron alongside the Palestinian activist Issa Amro. [2]

Contents

Broomberg's work often explores themes of conflict, power, and the representation of truth in contemporary society. He is known for challenging existing power structures and using art as a means of fostering social change. His practice has been described as both provocative and thought-provoking, encouraging viewers to critically examine their perspectives and confront uncomfortable truths. [3]

Early life and education

Adam Broomberg was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and grew up during the Apartheid era, a time of intense racial segregation and political unrest. This politically charged environment profoundly influenced his worldview and later artistic practice. Growing up in a society defined by systemic inequality and oppression shaped his awareness of social injustices and fueled his commitment to challenging dominant narratives through his work. [4]

Broomberg attended the University of Cape Town for his initial studies before completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art at the University of Witwatersrand in 1998. [5]

His education in South Africa during the post-apartheid transition further informed his critical perspective on power dynamics and representation, themes that would become central to his artistic practice. [6]

Teaching and academic career

Broomberg has held various academic positions and continues to teach internationally.

From 2015 to 2021, he was a professor of photography at the Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK) in Hamburg, Germany. However, his tenure ended due to his outspoken support for Palestinian rights, a stance that sparked controversy and led to his dismissal. [7]

Broomberg is also a faculty member of the Photography & Society program at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague, a course he co-designed to address the intersection of visual culture and social issues. His commitment to education extends beyond formal academia; he frequently leads workshops and lectures at international institutions, emphasizing art's role in fostering critical thinking and activism. [8]

Collaboration with Oliver Chanarin

In the early 2000s, Adam Broomberg formed a creative partnership with fellow artist Oliver Chanarin, who was born in London in 1971. [9] Together, they became known as the artistic duo **Broomberg & Chanarin**. Their work is celebrated for its intellectual rigor, technical innovation, and its ability to provoke meaningful dialogue about contemporary issues.

Their most notable achievement was winning the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize in 2013 for their publication War Primer 2, a critical reworking of Bertolt Brecht’s original War Primer. [10]

Their collaborations spanned over two decades, producing several critically acclaimed projects, exhibitions, and publications. Their work has been displayed in prestigious institutions, including Tate Modern, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Victoria and Albert Museum. [11]

In 2021, they concluded their partnership with a retrospective exhibition in Barcelona, marking what they described as a "creative suicide". [12]

Activism

Founding of Linx

At the age of 16, Adam Broomberg co-founded a political organisation called \"Linx\" in South Africa alongside other young students, including Yaël Farber. The group aimed to conscientise young white South Africans about the realities of Apartheid and foster political awareness among the youth.

Polaroid and apartheid + Kodak and race

In 2013, Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin \"spent a month in South Africa\" to highlight the racial bias in photographic technology during the Apartheid era. They used decades-old film engineered primarily for white faces to create their work. [13] They employed Polaroid's vintage ID-2 camera, which included a \"boost\" button to increase the flash intensity, allowing it to photograph black people for the notorious passbooks, or \"dompas,\" used by the state to control their movements.

Spirit is a Bone

Another collaborative project with Oliver Chanarin, Spirit is a Bone, critiques facial recognition technology, particularly in Russia. The project examines how photographed faces, stripped of context and interaction, become mere digital equivalents of death masks, highlighting the dehumanizing effects of such technologies. [14]

Baby It's Cold Outside

In 2016, ahead of the Brexit referendum, Broomberg and Chanarin designed and sold ethically made t-shirts bearing the slogan \"Baby It’s Cold Outside.\" [15] The slogan, a reference to the 1940s eponymous Christmas song, served as a protest against a potential exit from the European Union. Reflecting on his global identity, Broomberg said, \"My family escaped Europe before the Holocaust, I grew up in Africa, I learnt to be an artist in Italy, and I’ve lived in England for 20 years. I feel at home in the world.” [16]

Hands off our Revolution

In 2016, Broomberg criticised the art market for continuing \"business as usual\" following the election of Donald Trump. To counter modern fascism, he created \"Hands off our Revolution,\" a collaborative web-based art project involving artists, thinkers, and researchers. [17] The project’s manifesto stated, “This time, the threat, in the form of Donald Trump’s ‘whitelash’ fascism, is not just apparent in the United States. Trump’s election has emboldened the right wing throughout the world.”

Artists + Allies x Hebron

Founded by Broomberg, this initiative focuses on the surveillance methods used by Israeli authorities to monitor Palestinians in and around Hebron. Often dubbed \"Facebook for Palestinians,\" this surveillance relies heavily on facial recognition technology. [18] The initiative repurposed this technology in a project called \"Counter-Surveillance: H2,\" which aimed to protect the olive harvest instead of surveilling Palestinian communities. [19] [ better source needed ]

Row with Stefan Hensel

In February 2023, Broomberg defended himself in an article in Die Zeit [20] against allegations of antisemitism made by Stefan Hensel, Hamburg's commissioner against antisemitism. [21] Broomberg expressed fears for his safety in Germany and defended his support for the BDS movement.

Support for BDS

In 2021, Broomberg spoke out in an article in taz [22] against the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK), which ended its collaboration with him after he identified the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories as \"apartheid.\" He also called on artists to boycott the Zabludowicz Art Trust, citing its alleged funding from Israeli arms industries. [23] [24]

Berlin Arrest

In May 2023, Broomberg was arrested by German police at a Jewish-led Nakba commemoration in Berlin. [25]

Exhibitions

2021

  • The Late Estate Broomberg & Chanarin, Fabra i Coats Centre d'Art Contemporani, Barcelona, Spain [26]

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Publications

2015

  • Humans and Other Animals (monograph), Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Tate Publishing. ISBN   978-1-849763-67-7
  • Spirit is a Bone (monograph), Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, MACK, London, UK. ISBN   978-1-910164-18-1.

Selected solo work and exhibitions

In addition to his collaborative projects, Broomberg has worked and has exhibited internationally. His photographs often evoke a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, encouraging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and question established norms.[ citation needed ] His solo exhibitions have been held in galleries and institutions worldwide, including the Tate Modern in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. His work is included in the collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Listed below are the most recent: [41]

Selected bibliography

2024

2023

2022

2021

2017

2016

2015

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, Broomberg has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the field of contemporary art.

2018

2014

2013

2004

Related Research Articles

The British Art Show (BAS) is a major survey exhibition organised every five years to showcase contemporary British Art. Each time it is organised, the show tours to four UK cities. It usually requires a number of venues in each city to accommodate it. As a snapshot of contemporary British Art, the exhibition has some equivalence to the biennial exhibitions of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisson Gallery</span>

Lisson Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with locations in London and New York, founded by Nicholas Logsdail in 1967. The gallery represents over 50 artists such as Art & Language, Ryan Gander, Carmen Herrera, Richard Long, John Latham, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Jonathan Monk, Julian Opie, Richard Wentworth, Anish Kapoor, Richard Deacon and Ai Weiwei.

A luminogram is an image, usually made with an artistic purpose, created by exposure of photosensitive materials to light without the intervention of an object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Photographers' Gallery</span> Photography gallery in London

The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography.

Julian Stallabrass is a British art historian, art critic, photographer and curator. He was educated at Leighton Park School and New College, Oxford University where he studied PPE. He obtained an MA and PhD in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art. While he has broad theoretical interests, he has been influenced by Marxism, particularly influenced by the work of the Frankfurt School. He has written extensively on modern and contemporary art, photography and the history of twentieth-century British art.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize is awarded annually by the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation and the Photographers' Gallery to a photographer who has made the most significant contribution to the photographic medium in Europe during the past year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apexart</span> Art space in Manhattan, New York City

Apexart is a non-profit art space located in Lower Manhattan, New York. The organization, founded by Steven Rand in 1994, combines spaces for creative endeavor and curation to encourage experimentation and innovation. apexart offers several open call programs intended to even the playing field between applicants, diversify experience and perspective, and push back against the commercialization of art.

Christopher Stewart is a visual artist and educator and currently teaches part-time at University of the Arts London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Fine Arts of Hamburg</span> Fine arts school in Hamburg, Germany

The Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg is the University of Fine Artsof Hamburg. It dates to 1767, when it was called the Hamburger Gewerbeschule; later it became known as Landeskunstschule Hamburg. The main building, located in the Uhlenhorst quarter of Hamburg-Nord borough, was designed by architect Fritz Schumacher, and built between 1911 and 1913. In 1970, it was accredited as an artistic-scientific university.

Gordon MacDonald works with photography as an artist, writer, curator, press photographer and educator.

Antonio de Luca is a Canadian creative director and photobook designer based in New York. He is an assistant editor and visual columnist at The New York Times.

Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin are artists living and working in London.

Impressions Gallery is an independent contemporary photography gallery in Bradford, England. It was established in 1972 and located in York until moving to Bradford in 2007. Impressions Gallery also runs a photography bookshop, publishes its own books and sells prints. It is one of the oldest venues for contemporary photography in Europe.

Mack is an independent art and photography publishing house based in London. Mack works with established and emerging artists, writers and curators, and cultural institutions, releasing around 40 books per year. The publisher was founded in 2010 in London by Michael Mack.

Photoworks is a UK development agency dedicated to photography, based in Brighton, England and founded in 1995. It commissions and publishes new photography and writing on photography; publishes the Photoworks Annual, a journal on photography and visual culture, tours Photoworks Presents, a live talks and events programme, and produces the Brighton Photo Biennial, the UK's largest international photography festival Brighton Photo Biennial,. It fosters new talent through the organisation of the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards in collaboration with the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Lisa Barnard is a documentary photographer, political artist, and a reader in photography at University of South Wales. She has published the books Chateau Despair (2012), Hyenas of the Battlefield, Machines in the Garden (2014) and The Canary and the Hammer (2019). Her work has been shown in a number of solo and group exhibitions and she is a recipient of the Albert Renger-Patzsch Award.

Charlotte Cotton is a curator of and writer about photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Office gallery</span>

The Office is a contemporary art gallery located in the centre of the old town of Nicosia in Cyprus near the boundaries of the Green Line, which makes Nicosia the last divided capital in Europe. The location is a stimulus for some artists who have exhibited their work in the Office gallery. It was founded in 2009 by the Greek Anastasios Gkekas.

Annette Kelm is a German contemporary artist and photographer who is particularly known as a conceptual artist. Kelm uses medium or large format cameras in her work, creating still life and portraits. She favours using analog photography methods in her work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodman Gallery</span> Art gallery founded in Johannesburg, South Africa

Goodman Gallery is an art gallery founded in Johannesburg, South Africa by Linda Givon in 1966. The gallery operates spaces in Johannesburg, Cape Town, London and New York. It represents both established and emerging artists who are regarded as having helped shape the landscape of contemporary art in Southern Africa.

References

  1. ↑ Broomberg, Adam. "Adam Broomberg". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  2. ↑ "Counter-Surveillance in H2: A project by Artists + Allies × Hebron". artistsandallies.art. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  3. ↑ "Adam Broomberg's Artistic Practice". Art Critique. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  4. ↑ "Apartheid's Impact on South African Artists". Art History Review. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  5. ↑ "Adam Broomberg Biography". Adam Broomberg Official Website. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  6. ↑ Smith, Jane (2010). "Art in Transition: The Post-Apartheid Generation". South African Art Quarterly. 12: 45–50. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  7. ↑ Door, Lukas (2021-06-04). "Kunsthochschule trennt sich von Dozenten: Kunst als Kampfplatz". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN   0931-9085 . Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  8. ↑ "Adam Broomberg at KABK". Royal Academy of Art. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  9. ↑ "About". Oliver Frank Chanarin. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  10. ↑ "DB 2013 Winner | DBPP 2013 | The Photographers' Gallery". 2015-07-02. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  11. ↑ Buck, Louisa (2021-02-17). "After more than two decades together, artist duo Broomberg and Chanarin commit 'creative suicide'". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  12. ↑ O'Toole, Sean. "An obituary, of sorts, for the 'death' of artist duo Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin - 1854 Photography". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  13. ↑ Smith, David (2013-01-25). "'Racism' of early colour photography explored in art exhibition". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Spirit is a Bone". Photomonitor. 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  15. ↑ Higgie, Jennifer (2016-06-20). "Should We Stay or Should We Go?". Frieze. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  16. ↑ "The t-shirts and people supporting #VoteRemain this summer". Dazed. 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  17. ↑ "Adam Broomberg: Hands off our Revolution". Good Trouble. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ "Palestinians, artists and allies turn Israeli surveillance tech round to protect olive groves". SKWAWKBOX. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  20. ↑ Twickel, Christoph (2023-02-07). "\"Ich mache mir Sorgen um meine Sicherheit in Deutschland\"". Die Zeit. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  21. ↑ "German official targets Jewish artist over alleged anti-Semitism for criticising Israel Occupation". MEMO. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ palestine, redacteur media. "Plus de 600 artistes et organisations appellent au boycott du Zabludowicz Art Trust en raison de ses liens avec Israël". Agence Media Palestine (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  24. ↑ Liscia, Valentina Di (2021-05-18). "600+ Artists and Organizations Urge Boycott of Zabludowicz Art Trust Over Israel Ties". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  25. ↑ Shamir, Jonathan Di (2023-05-24). "Berlin Police Claim pro-Palestine Chant Is Banned at Jewish-led Nakba Day Rally". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  26. ↑ "Spring Is Here: Brilliant Things To Do This March". AnOther. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  27. ↑ "Woe From Wit - Exhibition at synthesis gallery in Berlin". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  28. ↑ "Photography Exhibition - Broomberg & Chanarin. Divine violence". The Eye of Photography Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  29. ↑ "fig-futures, WEEK 3 / BROOMBERG & CHANARIN, 25 – 29 September 2018". Kettle's Yard. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  30. ↑ "Nogueras Blanchard". Nogueras Blanchard. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  31. ↑ "No Heroes Outside: Broomberg & Chanarin's 'Bandage the knife not the wound'". ArtThrob. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  32. ↑ "Single Exhibition – ‌Broomberg & Chanarin – Not for Publication and Sale in Iran – Ag Galerie" . Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  33. ↑ "The Bureaucracy of Angels". Art on the Underground. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  34. ↑ "Broomberg & Chanarin: Trace Evidence | Exhibitions". Lisson Gallery. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  35. ↑ Christoph (2016-10-03). "Don't Start With The Good Old Things But The Bad New Ones". Another Something. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  36. ↑ "Broomberg & Chanarin - Every Piece of Dust on Freud's Couch". Freud Museum London. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  37. ↑ "Broomberg & Chanarin: Rudiments | Exhibitions". Lisson Gallery. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  38. ↑ "People in Trouble Laughing Pushed to the Ground". Belfast Exposed. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  39. ↑ "To Photograph the Details of a Dark Horse in Low Light". Aperture. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  40. ↑ "Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin: Divine Violence at Goodman Gallery" . Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  41. ↑ "Adam Broomberg, artist". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  42. ↑ "Adam Broomberg, with CAConrad and Gersande Spelsberg: Glitter in My wounds, an exhibition at signs and symbols". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  43. ↑ "The new exhibition by Adam Broomberg at kunsthallo London – OpenCall Magazine". opencallmag.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  44. ↑ "Broomberg & Chanarin: The Bureaucracy of Angels, an online video exhibition". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  45. ↑ "HFBK: 2018/07/16: Photo Text Book Award für Broomberg & Chanarin". hfbk-hamburg.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  46. ↑ "Past Recipients". International Center of Photography. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  47. ↑ "DB 2013 Winner". The Photographers' Gallery. 2013-06-10. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  48. ↑ "Vic Odden Award - RPS". 2023-09-25. Archived from the original on 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.