Places that are unexpected, beautiful, devoid of beauty. As if someone had suddenly turned off the sound or muted their mobile. We expect noise – we’re in the middle of the city after all. But the setting doesn’t need any sound. It has its own frequency. This is the “city from below”: photographs revealing the other sides of a city, beyond the crowds of tourists and coffee-table-book aesthetic – the “special flavour” that every city has.
The photo series TERRRA TOTAL was created in the 1990s under the title Other Worlds. It is a series of macrophotographs: scenes composed of toys and small everyday objects. Smurfs, plastic skeletons and their friends allegorise the absurdities of life – situations people sometimes quite unexpectedly (and helplessly) find themselves in. After a ten-year hiatus, Andreas Bromba has returned to this series under the new title TERRRA TOTAL. The first TERRRA TOTAL scene is entitled “Treffpunkt N.Y.” (“Point of Impact NY”) and was created in January 2002. The series will be continued. All of the photographs are analogue.
The Mystical Series is a conceptual photo series that aims to show, through special places, artworks and buildings in as many different countries as possible, that there is an “invisible” thread uniting all the peoples of the earth – a kind of archetype that calls to mind the same associations for everyone of a primal spiritual connection and yearning.
East Prussia, in the countryside, as if time had stood still. There’s still much to be done.
Medium format, Fuji RDP II roll film, 6×6 format – this was the point of departure. The Soviet, then also post-Soviet expanse (or void?) became associated with the square.
englische Version . . . . .
Königsberg / Kaliningrad / Kenig City The British bombing in August 1944 of the old East Prussian capital Königsberg, then one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, marked the beginning of its demise. Heavy fighting for the “Königsberg fortress” culminated in its capture by the Red Army on 9 April 1945, followed by days of unchecked atrocities against the remaining German population (approx. 100,000 of the original 380,000 inhabitants). The Soviets unleashed the full force of their vengeance. Then: famine and cholera. Some 25,000 Germans survived. Königsberg became Soviet, but really Russian. There were celebrations and expulsions, there was destruction and demolition, planning and reconstruction. Today, after being off limits for almost 50 years and just 600 kilometres from Berlin, but 1,200 kilometres from Moscow, many Kaliningraders feel closer to the West than to Russia. By a stroke of coincidence or irony, the years 2005/2006 marked a double anniversary: The old Hanseatic City and capital Königsberg, Prussia turned 750. At the same time, it was 60 years (4 July 1946) since the Soviet dictator …
19 April 2015 – The upcoming exhibition “The city from below” with photographs by Andreas Bromba from the series “The city from below” at Einstellungsraum e.V. in Hamburg-Wandsbek, a gallery that is particularly popular with young and innovative artists, has been included in the “Hamburger Architektur-Sommer” programme. Many thanks to gallery owner Elke Suhr for her patience and perseverance! The biennial “Hamburger Architektur-Sommer” has developed into a major event with exhibitions, colloquia and discussions across the city attracting a growing number of visitors. This is architecture at its most vibrant. The exhibition opens on Thursday, 16 June 2015 at 6 pm at the gallery Einstellungsraum e.V., Wandsbeker Chaussee 11. The photographer Andreas Bromba is present.
