John Haile - Event

The ifa exhibition "With Different Eyes" shows photographs by Johannes Haile (1927-2016), which were created during his travels in Germany in 1962. As one of the first Ethiopians, Haile studied photography in the United States. He was an official photographer of the Organization of African Unity (OAE). In 1962, he was commissioned by the German Embassy in Ethiopia to capture images of post-war industrial reconstruction in Germany. During his seven-week trip, he visited East and West Berlin, Munich and the Oktoberfest, the VW assembly halls of Wolfsburg, the Weinstadt Rüdesheim and many other places. 

The resulting photographs, which show Haile's subjective experiences, are now presented for the first time in Germany. With his pictures Haile tells stories about schoolchildren and students, couples and families as well as people working in factories, in the country, in educational institutions and in laboratories. They document the realities in the country and in the cities of Germany.

Haile accompanied people from their workplaces to their homes, giving them a deep insight into their daily lives. Johannes Haile's photographs are more than just historical documents. The photographer from Ethiopia had the ability to see beyond cultural differences. By sharing the individual stories of the people he met, he created a sense of belonging. 

The exhibition "With Different Eyes" was conceived by the Ethiopian curator Meskerem Assegued. She is the founder of the Zoma Contemporary Art Center (ZCAC), an ecological artist-in-residency project in Addis Ababa. Haile was her mentor and a friend.

Source: http://www.ifa.de/kunst/ifa-galerien/ausstellungen/johannes-haile.html