In the exhibition, images from China from 1961 are juxtaposed with today's views. These photos were taken between 2016 and 2019 in the same location as the historical images, allowing the viewer to travel back in time around 60 years.
The exhibition "China 1961-2021 ⦁ On the trail of change" shows a selection of historical color photographs taken by the physician Dr. Horst Köntopp on a trip to China in 1961. From a historical point of view, it is remarkable that Köntopp's photographs are in color, as at that time in China photography was still almost exclusively in black and white.
The journey leads through the cities of Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Conghua and Foshan, where various cultural and working sites were visited and photographed. In addition to scenes of daily life, the pictures show portraits, landscapes and cityscapes. They thus reveal a multifaceted panorama of society in China at the time and the rapid development of the country over the last sixty years.
In the exhibition, a selection of the pictures is juxtaposed with today's views. These photos were taken by Jakob Moritz Becker, Köntopp's great-grandson, between 2016 and 2019 in the same location as the historical images, allowing the viewer to travel back in time around 60 years. Identifying the motifs and reconstructing the camera locations required a meticulous analysis of sometimes barely legible slide inscriptions, directions of shadows and the smallest image details of the historical building ensembles.
Location of the exhibition: Kulturkirche St. Jakobi, Stralsund
Period: 23.03.2025 to 21.04.2025
You can find more information at: tracesofchange.de and on instagram @china_1961_2021
