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Documentary Photography from the German Democratic Republic As a Substitute Public

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Documentary Photography from the German Democratic Republic As a Substitute Public humanities Article Documentary Photography from the German Democratic Republic as a Substitute Public Anne Pfautsch Kingston School of Art, Kingston University, London KT1 2QJ, UK; [email protected] Received: 25 April 2018; Accepted: 3 September 2018; Published: 10 September 2018 Abstract: This paper discusses artistic documentary photography from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from the mid-1970s until the fall of the Berlin Wall, and suggests that it functioned as a substitute public–Ersatzöffentlichkeit–in society. This concept of a substitute public sphere sometimes termed a counter-public sphere, relates to GDR literature that, in retrospect, has been allocated this role. On the whole, in critical discourse certain texts have been recognised as being distinct from GDR propaganda which sought to deliver alternative readings in their coded texts. I propose that photography, despite having had a different status to literature in the GDR, adopted similar traits and also functioned as part of a substitute public sphere. These photographers aimed to expose the existing gap between the propagandised and actual life under socialism. They embedded a moral and critical position in their photographs to comment on society and to incite debate. However, it was necessary for these debates to occur in the private sphere, so that artists and their audience would avoid state persecution. In this paper, I review Harald Hauswald’s series Everyday Life (1976–1990) to demonstrate how photographs enabled substitute discourses in visual ways. Hauswald is a representative of artistic documentary photography and although he was never published in the official GDR media, he was the first East German photographer to publish in renowned West German and European media outlets, such as GEO magazine and ZEITmagazin, before the reunification. In 1990, he founded the ‘Ostkreuz–Agency of Photographers’ with six other East German documentary photographers. Keywords: documentary photography; German Democratic Republic; GDR daily life; photography as a substitute public; ‘Ostkreuz–Agentur der Fotografen’; literature as a substitute public; Harald Hauswald 1. Introduction In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) photography was a contested medium struggling between art and politics and was primarily used either to serve ideology or to object it. Associated with humanism, because of photography’s ‘objective’ character, by both party officials and the people, documentary style photography played a crucial role in this ambivalence (James 2013, p.104; Hoffmann and Knapp 1987). The Socialist Unity Party (SED), made use of photography’s claim to veracity and manipulated images to present a world in which socialism had already been achieved. Walter Ulbricht, the SED’s first secretary who stayed in power until 1971, sought to use the medium as a conveyor of “harmony, passion, and the appreciation for socialist life” (Betts 2010, p.197), if need be, by means of image manipulation. Berthold Beiler, the GDR’s most significant photography theorist, stated that by “interfering with a gentle hand” one could “turn possibility into reality”.1 Influenced by a Soviet photographic culture, the official photographs in the GDR aimed to fulfil the stipulations of socialist realism (James 2013, p. 104). The medium was used as an educational instrument and as a 1 Quoted from Karl Gernot Kuehn (Kuehn 1997, p. 50). Humanities 2018, 7, 88; doi:10.3390/h7030088 www.mdpi.com/journal/humanities Humanities 20182018,, 77,, 88x FOR PEER REVIEW 22 ofof 1717 instrument and as a design tool to illustrate texts for which this realistic form was pivotal cf. Heft 9, design1950; Heft tool 7, to 1954; illustrate Heft texts 8/9, 1960 for which (Zentrale this realisticKommission form wasFotografie pivotal der cf. HeftDDR 9, 1947–1991; 1950; Heft 7,Beiler 1954; 1977). Heft 8/9,According 1960 ( Zentraleto socialist Kommission realism, photographs Fotografie der had DDR to 1947–1991be positive,; Beiler future-oriented, 1977). According taken to from socialist the realism,workers’ photographs perspective, had and to had be positive, to present future-oriented, people as a collective taken from (cf. the Rehberg workers’ et perspective, al. 2012, p. and 43) had(cf. toFigures present 1 and people 2). as a collective (cf. Rehberg et al. 2012, p. 43) (cf. Figures1 and2). This approach approach was was challenged by some artisticartistic documentarydocumentary photographers,photographers, who committedcommitted themselves toto document document their their social social environment environment and createand create an alternative an alternative image ofimage life under of life socialism under insocialism the GDR. in the They GDR. revealed They andrevealed commented and comme on thented gap on betweenthe gap between the propagandised the propagandised and existing and socialismexisting socialism in East Germany. in East Germany. This is the This reason is the researchers reason researchers recognise recognise the documentary the documentary style as the style most as 2 prominentthe most prominent strand of strand artistic of photography artistic photography (cf. Hartewig (cf. Hartewig and Lüdtke and 2004 Lüdtke). 2004).2 FigureFigure 1. Carla 1. Carla Arnold, Arnold, Dem Dem Unkraut Unkraut zu Leibe zu Leibe (Bearing (Bearing down down the weeds),the weeds), 1960. 1960. Photo Photo Credits: Credits: Carla Carla Arnold. Arnold. At the beginning of the 1990s, scholars introduced the concept of Ersatzöffentlichkeit, a substitute public,At tothe describe beginning art of that the did 1990s, not sc followholars the introduced ideological the stipulationsconcept of Ersatzöffentlichkeit of the Socialist Unity, a substitute Party.3 Thepublic, term to describe has been art widely that did discussed not follow in the relation ideological to GDR stipulations literature, of wherethe Socialist writers Unity either Party. did3 The not implementterm has been socialist widely realist discussed principles in relation or encoded to GDR their literature, works where in such writers a way either that literature did not implement facilitated discoursessocialist realist on social principles issues, or which encoded were their officially works untenable in such ina way the East thatGerman literature political facilitated public discourses sphere.4 Theon social SED Partyissues, rule which made were it impossible officially untenable to discuss in socially the East relevant German and political delicate public topics sphere. in public.4 The AsSED a result,Party rule an openmade dialogue it impossible shifted to discuss into the socially private relevant sphere, whereand delicate the “real topics living in public. experiences” As a result, of East an Germansopen dialogue were discussed.shifted into5 Socialthe private debates sphere, were wh initiatedere the through “real living authors experiences” “writing between of East theGermans lines” andwere readers discussed. “reading5 Social between debates the were lines”, initiated which through made the authors formation “writing of a substitutebetween the public lines” sphere and dependentreaders “reading on aninterrelation between the of lines”, artists andwhich audiences. made the Brigitte formation Reimann’s of a unfinishedsubstitute novelpublicFranziska sphere Linkerhanddependent( onFranziska an interrelation Linkerhand of) (1974)artists (andReimann audiences. 1998), Brigitte and Ulrich Reimann’s Plenzdorf’s unfinished novel Die novel neuen Franziska Leiden desLinkerhand jungen W. (Franziska(The New Linkerhand Sorrows) of(1974) Young (Reimann W.) (1973) 1998), (Plenzdorf and Ulrich and Plenzdorf’s Fursland 2015 novel) are Die two neuen examples Leiden 2 Wulf Herzogenrath for example stresses a pre-eminence of social documentary photography as it stands in 2 Wulf Herzogenrath for example stresses a pre-eminence of social documentary photography as it stands in solidarity with thesolidarity people. with (Herzogenrath the people. 1992 (Herzogenrat, p. 30) Cf. (Domröseh 1992, 2012 p. 30), p. 21).Cf. (Domröse 2012, p. 21). 3 Cf.Cf. (Emmerich (Emmerich 1994; 1994; Leeder 2015 2015;; Herminghouse Herminghouse 1994 1994;; Domröse Domröse and Galerieet al. 1992; 1992 ;Berg Berg 2007;2007; MoosMoos 2004 2004;; Mittman Mittman 1994 ; 1994;Hohendahl Hohendahl and and Herminghouse Herminghouse 1983; Bessel 1983; andBessel Jessen and 1996 Jessen). 1996). 4 Cf. (Liebscher 2011, p. 146; Wallenburg and Cottbus 1990, p. 15; Müller 2006, p. 12; Reifarth 2003, p. 26). 4 Cf. (Liebscher 2011, p. 146; Wallenburg 1990, p. 15; Müller 2006, p. 12; Reifarth 2003, p. 26). 5 Juliana Raupp, ‘Kunstöffentlichkeit in der DDR als Gegenöffentlichkeit’, in (Rittersporn et al. 2003, p. 235). Cf. (Raupp 2001). 5 Juliana Raupp, ‘Kunstöffentlichkeit in der DDR als Gegenöffentlichkeit’, in (Rittersporn et al. 2003, p. 235). Cf. (Raupp 2001). Humanities 2018, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 Humanities 2018, 7, 88 3 of 17 des jungen W. (The New Sorrows of Young W.) (1973) (Plenzdorf 2015) are two examples of how texts criticised social conditions in the GDR. Both authors write from the perspective of the East German ofyouth: how Reimann’s texts criticised protagonist, social conditions Franziska in Linkerhand, the GDR. Both is a authors young writearchitect from whose the perspective ideals of urban of the Eastplanning German are clashing youth: Reimann’s with the actual protagonist, requirements Franziska of socialist Linkerhand, housing, is a youngand Plenzdorf’s architect whose protagonist, ideals ofEdgar, urban is breaking
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