Back in the GDR

I am not a German citizen. I did not live in the German Democratic Republic (1949 -1990). But I am a historian. The past for me, is a country I continue to live in. The past informs my present and from the early days of opening an art gallery in , the GDR has deeply interested me.

In 2012, whilst visiting Berlin, I was most fortunate to view the incredibly profound exhibition, The Shuttered Society: Art Photography in the GDR 1949-1989. This was the first comprehensive exhibition of art photography, in relation to communist East . Shuttered Society comprised hundreds of photographs from 34 photographers which critically reflected on the GDR. Shuttered Society was profound in its humanity. Profound in its documentation of how other people, Communist Germans, lived a low-tech life on the brink of dissolution. Profound in the way people can lead everyday lives, with humour and dignity, amidst a brutal ideological surveillance and yet remain at core people we recognise.

The Shuttered Society percolated into memory to the point that my colleague Laura Thompson, Director of the Berlin gallery and I have been collecting Flea Market photographs, depicting as they often do, personal moments and humorous images of life under the old GDR. These GDR images are almost Polaroid moments from a society that did not use the instant, throw away technology that was early Polaroid. The images are all black and white. This is not art photography, but it is people photography. They are photographs of moment and mood; of a time of some foreignness and collective dignity.

We do not know the photographer. We do not know the subjects. However, we believe these anonymous personal moments are deserved of further observation and another life.

Michael Reid OAM Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Beehive Roller silver gelatine print image size 17 x 24 cm frame size 34 × 40 cm $420, framed

Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Winter, GDR silver gelatine print image size 6 x 9 cm frame size 23 x 26 cm $380, framed

Commissioned by the Prussian king Frederick William II, the Brandenburg Gate opened in 1791. The gate was not a political symbol at the time, it simply served to mark the end of ‘Unter den Linden’, the avenue connecting Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel and the Prussian palace. Across the GDR period, the gate was located in the “death-strip”, the border between East and West Berlin. Hans-Joachim Spremberg (1943-1978) year unknown “Junge Pioniere” (Young Pioneers) silver gelatine print image size 29.5 x 39 cm frame size 47 x 56 cm $480, framed

Hans-Joachim Spremberg (8 December 1943 – 6 March 1978) was an East German news photographer with the state news agency. His photographs documented high-profile state occasions along with daily life in . He died as the result of a helicopter accident while on an assignment in Libya. Hans-Joachim Spremberg (1943-1978) Berlin Mitte, Rummelplatz, 1964 silver gelatine print image size 40.5 x 30 cm frame size 57 x 47 cm $480, framed

A ‘Rummelplatz’ or Fairground in the East sometimes consisted of rides and games that weren’t accessible elsewhere because they came from the West. Spreepark that was inaugurated in 1969 was Berlin’s first permanent fairground. The site now lays abandoned, only accessible by guided tour.

Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Calisthenics to accordion music I silver gelatine print image size 6.5 x 10 cm frame size 23 x 26 cm $380, framed Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Calisthenics to accordion music II silver gelatine print image size 6.5 x 10 cm frame size 23 x 26 cm $380, framed

Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown Breakfast Friend I silver gelatine print image size 24 x 17 cm frame size 39 x 32 cm $480, framed

Thomas Kläber (b1955) is a German photographer who has become recognized for his social documentary work, particularly during the GDR and after the reunification of Germany. Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown Breakfast Friend II silver gelatine print image size 18 x 24 cm frame size 33 x 40 cm $380, framed

Photographer Unknown 1963 France Football in the GDR silver gelatine print image size 13 x 18 cm frame size 30 x 35 cm $420, framed Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown Mens Hens silver gelatine print image size 18 x 24 cm frame size 32 x 39 cm $420, framed Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Telecommunications group silver gelatine print image size 9.5 x 6.5 cm frame size 23 x 23 cm $300, framed Solidarity and Resilience

‘Solidarity’ and ‘resilience’ were the buzz words of 2020. Particularly in times of uncertainty they express a commitment to unity and a commitment to endure. Sharing such visions creates a collective identity and so is true of the German national identity formed through communist rule in the German Democratic Republic (GDR ‘Deutsche Demokratische Republik’).

The GDR was a country that existed for close to half a century, from 1949 to 1990 in the Eastern Bloc that formed during the Cold War. Life in the GDR was socialist, driven to be antifacist and progressive. Governed by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (the SED), the economy was centrally controlled and pricing for goods, services and housing were subsidised. The SED also had reign over curriculum, making the teaching of Marxism - Leninism and Russian language mandatory.

Although controlled, the GDR had its perks. Employment was given and many workplaces provided good childcare and health services. Some even came fit with their own sport and singing clubs. Goods were made to last and were refurbished or recycled wherever possible. Whilst culture such as music and performance from the West were censored, it led to a strong sense of comradery and the underground scene thrived making way for Berlin’s music and club scene that is world renowned today.

When social and political forces mounted against communism in 1989 the Berlin Wall fell and the GDR reunified with West Germany the following year. It was the end of an era and one that many embraced with open arms.

However, the response soon shifted as identities changed. Those from the former East became known as “eastern German”. It was an intentional disassociation from the former political agenda, but enabled acknowledgment of origin. The eastern German had to become accustomed to a new way of life, with companies becoming privatised and West German currency, laws and values taking center stage. Identities shift and change.

The collection of images now at Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin give insight into life behind the Iron Curtain. The exhibition acknowledges and retraces the resilience and comradery, and points to the humour that fed through the everyday.

Laura Thompson

Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown The Dance silver gelatine print image size 18 x 23.5 cm frame size 34 x 39 cm $420, framed Hans-Joachim Spremberg (1943-1978) Year Unknown Berlin Kettenkarussell silver gelatine print image size 25 x 30.5 cm frame size 42 x 48 cm $400, framed Hans-Joachim Spremberg (1943-1978) Berlin Friedrichsfelde, Hans Loch Viertel, 1967 silver gelatine print image size 17 x 22 cm frame size 34 x 39 cm $400, framed

The Hans Loch Viertel was one of the first larger East Berlin building districts and housing estates. It was built between 1961 to 1966 in Berlin’s Lichtenberg district. Hans-Joachim Spremberg (1943-1978) “Mädchen mit Kamera” (Girl with camera), 1964 silver gelatine print image size 24 x 21.5 cm frame size 41 x 39 cm $600, framed

Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown The Tour de No Where silver gelatine print image size 17 x 24 cm frame size 31 x 39 cm $380, framed Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown The Kiss silver gelatine print image size 18 x 23.5 cm $380, framed Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Triumph of the Sky silver gelatine print image size 7 x 10 cm frame size 25 x 27 cm $600, framed

Thomas Kläber (b1955) Year Unknown The Way of the Wind silver gelatine print image size 18 x 24 cm frame size 33 x 40 cm $380, framed Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Beach Guard Calisthenics silver gelatine print image size 10 x 7 cm $420, framed

Free body culture ‘Freikoerperkultur’ (or simply, nudity when swimming) was very popular in the GDR. It was a liberty that many East German’s took advantage of and is commonly seen in the summer to this day. When wearing bathers however, East German swimwear had a distinctive design. At the 1970’s Olympics the East German’s adopted “skinsuits” that closely fitted the body and became almost transparent when wet. Helfried Strauß (b1943) Year Unknown Always Watching silver gelatine print image size 18 x 23 cm frame size 32 x 39 cm $420, framed

Helfried Strauß (b1943) is a German photographer and former Professor at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig.

Photographer Unknown Year Unknown National People’s Army soldier & calisthenics with chair silver gelatine print image size 10 x 7.5 cm frame size 27 x 24 cm $420, framed

The National People’s Army (‘Nationale Volksarmee’) was established by the GDR in 1956. Initially serving in the army was voluntary, but conscription was introduced in 1962 and male citizens between 18 – 26 years were recruited. The Army grew to have about 175,000 soldiers.

Photographer Unknown Year Unknown Brandenburg gate with GDR flag silver gelatine print image size 17 x 24 cm frame size 34 x 42 cm $480, framed Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin

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