Exhibition

from 15.02.13 until 09.06.13

A cheering crowd in a Libyan sports stadium, gazing hopefully in the direction of their leader. Thus started the dubious political career of Muammar Gaddafi, a career which would end 42 years later in blood and gore. The photos went around the world. The FoMu focuses on the power of photography during recent events in the Arab world. The extensive Gaddafi archives are complemented by photographs on Syria, Egypt and Tunisia. Even though photography is clearly the ultimate propaganda tool for leaders in authoritarian regimes, it can also prove to be an important weapon for the people during a revolution.

FoMu shows work of the following artists and photographers: Issa Touma (SY, °1962), Nicolas Righetti (CH, °1967), Florian Göttke (DE, °1965), Hrair Sarkissian (SY, °1973), Nermine Hammam (EG, °1967), Joachim Ben Yakoub (BE, °1982) and Marco Bohr (DE, °1978). Next to these the civil journalism collective Mosireen (Egypt) and Facebook group ‘Uprising of Women in the Arab World’ are presented as well.

from 15.02.13 until 09.06.13

Who are these people, covered in heavy animal skins or straw skirts and adorned with cow bells or goat's legs? Charles Fréger (born in France in 1975) accompanied traditional groups to remote, unspoilt places. The rituals create a sense of unity with the land, with the ancient customs and with each other.  Fréger shows us a forgotten slice of European culture, which is as close as it is alive.

from 15.02.13 until 09.06.13

Photography played an important role in the western European perception of the exotic worlds, because it opened up a dialogue about what is 'foreign' and fuelled people's imagination in the process.  The FoMu shows a selection of photographs from its own collection going back to the very beginning of photography up until the 1960s.