1 comment.The Blissful Moment: Street Photography of Gunnar Boehme
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The photographer Gunnar Boehme lives in the easternmost village of Gozo, Qala. The 57-years-old German looks back on a long and varied career as a man of the theater, adviser in marketing, layout and graphic design and as a creativity trainer for apprentices of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Since he moved to Gozo he has concentrated his attention on his own photographic work.
Meanwhile Gunnar Boehme’s photo collection Pjazza, Theatre of Life, consists of many hundreds of photographs of the village life on Gozo and the village people. Though the exhibition at the Arthouse Gallery in Qala can only present a small segment of this huge oeuvre, it will exemplarily show Boehme’s perspective on his local Gozitan environment.
Subject of the actual presentation are the youngest in the community, the kids of Qala, and how they participate in the social life of the village. The title of the exhibition, ‘The Blissful Moment,’ comments on the naturalness of the coexistence of generations and the basic trust emerging from this.
This month 16 items of this collection will be presented at the Arthouse Gallery in Qala. The artist said that he has always highly appreciated how children are integrated into the local community and how naturally they grow up with its social, cultural and religious traditions, he decided to dedicate this presentation to them. The title of the presentation, The Blissful Moment,’ reflects his conviction that this social cohesion across generations is a source for joy, devotion and in the end successful identity building, which he hopes is recognised in the children’s portraits.
The artist said that much the same can be said about his pictures on the whole. The pictures, in all roughness, allow an intimate look on the world behind the scenes of the community, on the textures of social and emotional ties between people that make living on Gozo so unique.
The pictures are on display until the end of October.
Gunnar Boehme has impressed me during the past year that I have known his special photographic talent and shared his passion for village life here in Qala.
I had already offered him the opportunity for exhibition space should my proposed books, gifts and antiques shop ever materialize on the Pjazza San Guzepp, but bureaucratic roadblocks have so far prevented that from happening.
Nevertheless, when I attended his recent exhibit at the Arthouse Gallery, I was pleased to see the new direction his talent has taken in pursuing the themes of village life, including purchases that I had already made.
I am impressed how the young and old here form a continuum of protective love that enriches all who embrace it, even as onlookers. Boehme’s discerning eye has captured this innocence with an artful beauty and a tender compassion that makes his work so compelling.
The Arthouse Gallery is worth a visit for those who are in the Qala area. The Pjazza also has several excellent restaurants with complete bars to make your visit relaxing as well as worthwhile.
St. Joseph Church, at the center, is an architectural gem which enshrines an original Cali masterpiece behind its main altar.