{"id":365284,"date":"2026-03-26T00:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365284\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T00:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:31:12","slug":"how-group-photography-shapes-ideas-of-community-and-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365284\/","title":{"rendered":"How Group Photography Shapes Ideas of Community and Belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>      <img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Neal-Slavin-Capitol-Wrestling-Corporation-Washington-D.C.-1972\u201375-Chromogener-Farbabzug-Kunstpalst-D.jpeg\" alt=\"Seven muscular wrestlers in a tiled locker room, five standing and two crouching in front. Most wear red or black trunks and boots; one has long blond hair and a furry coat. Metal pipes and showers are visible in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845644\"  \/>Capital Wrestling Corporation, Washington, D.C., Neal Slavin, aus der Serie: When Two or More Are Gathered Together, Neal Slavin, Chromogener Farbabzug, 1972\u20131975, 26,8 x 26,8 cm, Kunstpalast, D\u00fcsseldorf, Foto: Neal Slavin <\/p>\n<p>A new exhibition explores how group photography has shaped and reflected ideas of community across history and into the present.<\/p>\n<p>The exhibition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kunstpalast.de\/en\/event\/community-photography-and-community\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">Community: Photography and Belonging<\/a>, will be on display at the Kunstpalast in D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany through May 25, 2026, and focuses on the multifaceted relationship between photography and community. Bringing together around 270 works from the museum\u2019s collection alongside major loans, it explores how photography both document and influence collective life, from 19th-century group portraits to contemporary digital imagery.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/13_Binschtok-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people stand and sit on railings beside parked cars on a busy street in front of a large store with Japanese signs and cartoon decorations. Pedestrians and trees are visible in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845637\"  \/>Viktoria Binschtok, Three People on the Phone #4, 2007 (2004), Siebdruck, 70 \u00d7 100 cm, \u00a9 VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026, Courtesy of the Artist and Klemm\u2019s, Berlin <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Unbekannt-Postkarte-mit-Festgesellschaft-ca.-1900\u20131919-Silbergelatineabzug-136-\u00d7-85-cm-Kunstpalast-D.jpeg\" alt=\"Five people in vintage clothing smile and raise glasses of champagne in a celebratory toast. The image is sepia-toned, giving it an old-fashioned, early 20th-century feel. The group appears joyful and festive.\" width=\"493\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845646\"  \/>Unbekannt, Postkarte mit Festgesellschaft, ca. 1900\u20131919, Silbergelatineabzug, 13,6 \u00d7 8,5 cm, Kunstpalast, D\u00fcsseldorf, Foto Kunstpalast \u2013 LVRZMB \u2013 Joshua Esthers <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ferrao-572x800.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in white dresses and headwraps share a kiss at a wedding, surrounded by guests in colorful attire. A table with fruit and pottery is in the foreground, and a floral arch is in the background.\" width=\"572\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845642\"  \/>Mayara Ferr\u00e3o, Die Hochzeit VI, 2024, Tintenstrahldruck, 20 x 14,5 cm, Courtesy of the Artist &amp; Verve Gallery <\/p>\n<p>Communities take many forms, from families and sports clubs to political groups, yet the idea of belonging is not directly visible. The exhibition shows how photography plays a central role in giving shape to these connections. Photographs can demonstrate inclusion within a group, but they can also define who is excluded. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotography is one of the most influential social media \u2013 it has been since long before what we now call social media existed, and it remains so today,\u201d says Felix Kr\u00e4mer, Director General of the Kunstpalast. \u201cIt creates closeness and shapes identity, while also revealing how fragile a sense of belonging can be. This exhibition shows just how deeply our ideas of community are bound up with images.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Diop-600x425-1.png\" alt=\"A group of people in festive hats celebrate indoors, smiling and sitting close together, surrounded by colorful streamers and decorations, creating a lively party atmosphere.\" width=\"600\" height=\"425\" class=\"size-full wp-image-845640\"  \/>Omar Vicor Diop &amp; Lee Shulman, 10, Aus der Serie The Anonymous Project presents Being There , 2023,Pigmentdruck, 30 \u00d7 43 cm, Deutsche B\u00f6rse PhotographyFoundation , \u00a9 VG Bild \u2013 Kunst, Bonn 2026, Foto CourtesyMAGNIN \u2013 A Gallery,Paris <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Unbekannt-Fotorand-ca.-1950er-Jahre-Silbergelatineabzug-102-\u00d7-42-cm-Kunstpalast-Duesseldorf-Foto-Kun.jpeg\" alt=\"A vintage torn photograph shows a bride in a white dress and veil, holding a bouquet and the hand of a young boy dressed in formal clothes, standing beside her. Both look toward the camera.\" width=\"405\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845645\"  \/>Unknown, Trimmed Edge of a Photo, ca. 1950s, Gelatin silver print, 10,2 \u00d7 4,2 cm, Kunstpalast, D\u00fcsseldorf, Photo: Kunstpalast \u2013 LVRZMB \u2013 Joshua Esthers <\/p>\n<p>Group portraits are one of the clearest ways photography shows a sense of belonging. From carefully arranged studio portraits in the 19th century to today\u2019s casual group selfies, people come together in front of the camera and position themselves to be part of the image. Families, friends, work colleagues, and club members all use posing as a shared act that demonstrates connection. When these images are kept in albums, they support memory, storytelling, and the maintenance of community.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ludwig-Schirmer-Ohne-Titel-Aus-der-Serie-Ein-Dorf-1950\u20131960-Tintenstrahldruck-27-\u00d7-395-cm-Courtesy-o.jpeg\" alt=\"Black-and-white photo of people, including children and adults, walking up and down a wet, muddy street in a village with old stone buildings. Some carry umbrellas and wear coats, suggesting rainy weather.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845643\"  \/>Ludwig Schirmer, Untitled, from the Series: A Village, 1950\u20131960, Gelatin silver print, 27 \u00d7 39,5 cm, Courtesy of the Artists <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Aus-dem-Familienalbum-Owusu-1999-Courtesy-of-the-Owner-Black-Archive-Germany_-1-800x572.jpg\" alt=\"Two women stand in a white tiled kitchen, both wearing vibrant, patterned dresses with puffed sleeves. One woman smiles while holding a black purse; the other stands with hands relaxed, wearing a matching headpiece.\" width=\"800\" height=\"572\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845638\"  \/>From the Family Album: Owusu, 1999, Courtesy of the Owner \/ Black Archive Germany <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dolf-Siebert-1949-Menschenmassen-bei-einem-Spiel-der-Fortuna-Silbergelatineabzug-225-\u00d7-13-cm-Stadtar.jpeg\" alt=\"A large, tightly packed crowd of people, mostly men wearing suits and hats, seen from above in black and white. The group appears focused, facing in one direction, filling the frame completely.\" width=\"475\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-845641\"  \/>Dolf Siebert, 1949, Crowds at a Fortuna Game, Gelatin silver print, 22,5 \u00d7 13 cm, Stadtarchiv D\u00fcsseldorf<\/p>\n<p>Group photos also follow unspoken rules. The placement of individuals within the frame can indicate inclusion, exclusion, and relative status. Six video works by Juliane Herrmann make this visible by filming groups as they arrange themselves. Historical and contemporary group portraits, from anonymous photographers to August Sander and Neal Slavin, show that images of communities do not only reflect social relationships \u2014 they actively shape them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat interests me about photography is its dual effect,\u201d says Linda Conze, curator of the exhibition and Head of the Kunstpalast Photography Department. \u201cIt makes people who appear together in an image seem naturally connected, while concealing those who are left out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More information about the Kunstpalast\u2019s exhibition Community: Photography and Belonging can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kunstpalast.de\/en\/event\/community-photography-and-community\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Image credits: All photos courtesy of Kunstpalast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Capital Wrestling Corporation, Washington, D.C., Neal Slavin, aus der Serie: When Two or More Are Gathered Together, Neal&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,21942,164683,164684,164685,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-365284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-exhibition","15":"tag-familyphoto","16":"tag-groupphoto","17":"tag-groupportrait","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}