Gosbert Gottmann

Gosbert Gottman’s Spectators is a collection of photographs dedicated to fame, fortune and power. The universe of the spectator is driven by the impact of media. Entertainment, sports, business, religion and nationality supply the events. Portraits of German cultural figures Goethe, Witt, Kerkeling and Jogi & Co. alternate between Michael Jackson, royalty and realms of celebration. The ironic traces of celebrities are assembled with images of dramatic locations and beguiling still-lives where the performances have been held or the remnants of the famous still linger.
The show stages are many places: theatres, trade-fairs, arenas or other »places of interest.« These photographs are ambiguous, letting our eyes wander through layers of uncertain scales and perspectives. The draped theatrical auditorium is odd because there is no stage here really. A white stone fortress of immense proportions set against a blue sky looks powerful and artificial, culturally interchangeable. Iconic buildings are impressionably dark or overexposed; a parallel surreal existence. In another picture, curved bands of color quote a glimpse of the on-going process.