Jitka Hanzlovà

Jitka Hanzlová: Identity and the Dignity of the Portrait

Jitka Hanzlová (*1958), a photographic artist based in Essen, is one of the most prominent voices in contemporary European photography and gained international recognition primarily through her groundbreaking series “Female” (1997–2000). Hanzlová approaches the young women she portrays directly on the street – in cities such as New York, London, Paris or Berlin – and depicts them entirely free from conventional fashion or gender stereotypes. Her images are characterised by an unmistakable sensuality and intimacy; with great empathy and psychological insight, she imbues her subjects with a profound dignity and authentic femininity that immediately moves the viewer.

A fascinating turning point in her body of work, which is characterised by feminine facets, is marked by her visual contribution to the interdisciplinary opera project ‘Dead End’, an ambitious collaboration between the Kammeroper NRW and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum in Krefeld. For this production, directed by the curator and filmmaker Ralph Goertz, Jitka Hanzlová created her first official portrait of a man. The work depicts the Bonn-based actor Bernd Braun and captures the existential depth and isolation of his stage role. This rare, masterful photographic print (C-print, 42 x 58 cm) documents the rare symbiosis of theatrical art and authorial photography and is now held in the holdings of the prestigious IKS Collection as an important historical artefact.

Review Round-up: The Echo of Art Criticism

The specialist press and online media responded with great enthusiasm to the collaboration between Hanzlová and Goertz within the museum setting. Critics highlighted how perfectly Hanzlová’s sensitive visual language corresponded with the existential intensity of the theatrical material at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum. Whilst her ‘Female’ series was often praised in the arts pages for its delicate balance between distance and intimacy, reviewers hailed the portrait of Bernd Braun as an ‘iconic distillation of masculine fragility’. The visual interplay between the performing and visual arts was hailed in cultural magazines as a prime example of successful, cross-disciplinary collaboration within North Rhine-Westphalia’s museum landscape. According to critics, the integration of the portrait into the stage design in particular lent the production an additional, almost painful psychological dimension.

Details of the project and artwork:

Artist: Jitka Hanzlová, Leon de Winter, Bernd Braun, Xaver Poncette

Project: Opera and exhibition project “Dead End”

Collaborating partners: Kammeroper NRW in collaboration with the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum (KWM), Krefeld

Director: Ralph Goertz

Special feature: The portrait by Bernd Braun is the first portrait of an all-male subject in Jitka Hanzlová’s body of work (C-print, size 42 x 58 cm) and forms part of the IKS PHOTO collection.

Bernd Braun, 2008