Die kleine Freiheit. Leben in der DDR. Fotoausstellung

In the organizer's words:

The exhibition shows historical photographs that reveal the quiet, often overlooked moments of personal freedom in a restrictive political system. The focus is on the everyday spaces of the self such as family, leisure, friendship, work, music, movement and creativity. While the broad term "freedom" was officially politicized in the GDR, the images reveal a subtle, human dimension of it: the conscious shaping of one's own everyday life within narrow boundaries. Authenticity and closeness to everyday life were at the forefront of the selection of photographs. On display are photographs by various East German press and professional photographers as well as photographs that were taken outside of state staging: Christian Brachwitz, Ralf Drescher, Klaus D. Friede, Waltraud Grubitzsch, Martina Kaiser, Joachim Kirchmair, Marion Klemp, Volkhard Kühl, Maja Lopatta, Michael Richter, Mario Rietz, Merit Schambach, Peter Thieme, Thomas Uhlemann and Jochen Wermann.

The black-and-white and color photographs from the 1960s to 1980s combine documentary and artistic perspectives and open up an immediate, human view of life in the GDR.

The fact that the exhibition is being shown in the Wellenwerk Berlin, a place of modern corporate culture and urban leisure, gives the project a special touch. This is where historical reflection and contemporary joie de vivre meet, a dialog between past and present that allows visitors to experience Lichtenberg as a creative and open district.

The photo exhibition initiated by the Lichtenberg Economic Development Agency is part of Berlin Freedom Week 2025 and is intended to attract visitors from all over Berlin and beyond as part of the promotion of tourism. Free admission during opening hours.