Duett der Moderne / Duet of Modernism

Art meets architecture: Bettina Cohnen brings together East and West as well as combining a photo essay and photographic art in Duett der Moderne. In her photo series, she shows people in the famous post-war Berlin neighbourhoods of Karl-Marx-Allee and the Hansaviertel in their surroundings, with all their complexity and intimacy. At the same time, she traces the idea behind the respective architecture. After all, the essential concern of modernist architects was good and affordable housing for everyone. This applied as from 1950 to the planning of the Sozialistische Strae and later Karl-Marx-Allee in East Berlin as well as to the new Hansaviertel in West Berlin in 1957. Today, the rivalry between the systems has turned into a duet: a duo uniting East and West. The catalogue for the exhibition Duett der Moderne combines photo essay and photographic art, the mediation of architectural culture, and the living history of monuments. Stories behind the facades: Photo artist Bettina Cohnen shows people in Berlins East and West neighbourhoods, and sets architecture and history into a new artistic context Exhibition: Mitte Museum, Berlin, February to September 2025