Photo Exhibition: Uzbekistan
June 24 - 28, 2013, LMU Munich/ July 2 - 8, 2013, Salon Irkutsk, Munich
For one week, a larger-than-life sized bust of Thomas Mann presided in the LMU Munich over student photographs of oriental ornaments, mosques and busy spice merchants. The photo exhibition “Impressions of Uzbekistan” was opened in the main building of the university from June 24 to 28.
(Photo: Boris Ganichev)
Students of the Elite Graduate Program for East European Studies had traveled to Uzbekistan in October of 2012 for their summer school session. Their particular focus had been on the history and everyday reality of Islam in Central Asia. Always to hand during their visits to Islamic schools and pilgrimage centers: a camera! Initially the photos were taken solely to capture personal memories. But as the days passed, with every new adventure and each new discovery, the students felt a growing desire to share their photographic impressions with a wider audience. Hence the students decided to use to use their photos to bring a little life into the otherwise rather vague understanding which most of the inhabitants of Munich had about the central Asian country – and the idea of a photo exhibition was born.
The aim of the students was not to show photographic works of art, but to convey an impression of everyday life in Uzbekistan. In all the photos, the perspective taken was that of an inquisitive visitor attempting to capture a small moment of Uzbek life – as the students were very well aware. Matthias Golbeck, Patrizia Pawelek, Anja Reiter and Fabian Steiner joined forces to organize the exhibition. In a selection process, they singled out and edited the most expressive photos, wrote press releases and negotiated prices and formats with printing companies.
Finally, on June 25, 2013, the exhibition was ceremonially opened in the Thomas Mann Hall. In his opening speech, graduate program and summer school director Professor Martin Schulze Wessel reminded his audience of the long tradition of traveling to Asia.
For a week, Uzbekistan's photographs adorned the walls of the Thomas Mann Hall; on 2 July 2013, they finally moved on to the Schwabing "Salon Irkutsk". Another guest of honor from Uzbekistan was present at another small opening ceremony: Dilschoda, an au pair in Donaueschingen, happily and enthusiastically talked about her Uzbek homeland. The claim to bringing a little Uzbek reality to Munich was thus more than fulfilled.
