The third biennial for current photography, entitled “From Where I Stand” from March 19 to May 22, 2022, will focus on photographic positions between art, journalism and activism.

The artists selected by curator Iris Sikking have in common that they address the relationship between humans, nature and technology that has become out of balance and take a stance on the resulting global crises.

Based on personal experiences and using a wide variety of media and materials, they encourage people to think about what a future worth living could look like.

Andrew Kuther

picture editor.

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The Biennale presents six exhibitions in six houses in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg with works by around 40 international artists, collectives and photographers.

The exhibition "Contested Landscapes" in the Kunsthalle Mannheim is dedicated to the ecological challenges facing the world today.

The works show the consequences of marine pollution, waste management and mineral extraction from the Baltic Sea to South America.

“Changing Ecosystems” at the Heidelberger Kunstverein addresses the decline in natural ecosystems that humans have contributed to.

Various long-term projects reveal the consequences of global developments on the flora and fauna of selected areas.

The exhibition "Narratives of Resistance" in the Museum Weltkulturen D5 in the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim, focuses on little-noticed conflicts between governments and certain population groups - the large-scale lithium mining in northern Portugal, the struggle for Adivasi territory in central India and the environmental challenges faced by Nepal in the Chitwan region.

The chapter "Bodies in (e)motion" at the Kunstverein Ludwigshafen deals with the human body as the most important instrument for expressing one's own cultural, religious and political identity.

"Shaping Data" at the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, examines how digital technologies affect our bodies, shape our opinions and change interpersonal relationships.

Algorithms are increasingly deciding what we see, hear and feel.

The exhibition "Collective Minds" in Port25 - Raum für Gegenwartskunst, Mannheim, presents works by artists who have established online and offline networks with young people from different backgrounds.

Creative businesses in Senegal or queer communities in South Africa.

From February 18, 2022, works will be installed extensively in the main train stations in Mannheim and Heidelberg: In Mannheim, there are excerpts from the “Tools for Conviviality” series by Anna Ehrenstein.

Individual images from Misha Vallejo Prut's “Secret Sarayaku” series and Eline Benjaminsen's “Footprints in the Valley” project transform the Heidelberg train station into a freely accessible gallery.

Further information on the respective exhibitions can be found here: https://www.biennalefotografie.de/