About the Exhibition

The protagonists in Volker Kukla’s portraits strive to stand out, to make a statement, yet they appear oddly lost and out of place. Is it the overwhelming presence of their surroundings to which they have no response? Or is it the discomfort of standing in front of the camera’s gaze that makes them uneasy? Kukla plays with these questions, positioning his subjects as if they were part of a Wes Anderson-inspired advertising campaign, posing with random objects in front of the lens.

Familiar locations in Berlin become the stage for a dialogue between the individual and the urban landscape in this exhibition. Volker Kukla places the city environment in competition with the portrayed individuals, revealing the complex interplay between public space and personal performance. The works capture the dynamic competition for visibility that defines life in the urban jungle. „selfme“ questions the culture of self-presentation in the digital age and reflects on the fragile balance between personal expression and the pressure to continuously reinvent oneself.