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Adam Broomberg

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Artist and human rights person
Adam Broomberg
Portrait of Adam Broomberg
Born (1970-11-11) 11 November 1970 (age 54)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Years active1986–present
Known forArtist and human rights defender

Adam Broomberg (born November 11, 1970) is a South-African artist, art educator and activist currently based in Berlin, Germany. He is the co-founder and coordinator of the NGO Artists + Allies x Hebron alongside the Palestinian activist Issa Amro. Broomberg's work often explores themes of conflict, power, and the representation of truth in contemporary society. Despite his prolific career, he remains committed to challenging existing power structures and using art as a means of fostering social change. His work continues to inspire and provoke viewers, inviting them to critically examine the world around them and confront uncomfortable truths.

Early life and education

He grew up in a politically charged environment during the Apartheid era, which profoundly influenced his later artistic practice. Broomberg's upbringing in a racially segregated society shaped his awareness of social inequalities and fueled his desire to challenge dominant narratives through his work.

In 1998, Broomberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Witwatersrand.

Teaching and academic career

Broomberg teaches and has held various academic positions.

He was professor of photography at the Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK) in Hamburg, Germany, from 2015 to 2021. He is a faculty member on Photography & Society at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK in the Hague (a course he co-designed). Broomberg's commitment to education extends beyond the classroom, as he frequently leads workshops and lectures at international institutions.

Collaboration with Oliver Chanarin

Main article: Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin

In the early 2000s he formed a creative partnership with fellow artist Oliver Chanarin (born in London, 1971). Both were awarded the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for their publication War Primer 2. Their work has been celebrated for its intellectual rigor, technical innovation, and ability to spark meaningful dialogue. Several exhibitions, projects and publications have resulted from this collaboration until they parted with a retrospective in Barcelona:

Exhibitions

2021

  • The Late Estate Broomberg & Chanarin, Fabra i Coats Centre D'Art Contemporani, Barcelona, Spain

2019

  • Woe from Wit, Synthesis Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2018

  • Broomberg & Chanarin: Divine Violence, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
  • Fig-futures, WEEK 3 / Broomberg & Chanarin, Kettles Yard, Cambridge, UK
  • Bandage the knife, not the wound, Nogueras Blanchard Gallery, Madrid, Spain
  • Bandage the knife, not the wound, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

2017

  • Not For Publication And Sale In Iran, Ag Galerie, Tehran, Iran
  • The Bureaucracy of Angels (commission), Kings Cross St. Pancras, Art on the Underground – TFL, London, UK
  • Trace Evidence, Lisson Gallery, Milan, Italy

2016

  • Don’t Start With The Good Old Things But The Bad New Ones, C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany

2015

  • Every piece of dust on Freuds couch, Freud Museum, London
  • Rudiments, Lisson Gallery, London, UK
  • People in Trouble Laughing Pushed to the Ground, Belfast Exposed, Belfast, UK
  • To Photograph the Details of a Dark Horse in Low Light, Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Divine Violence, Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

Publications

2015

  • Humans and Other Animals (monograph), Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Tate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-849763-67-7
  • Spirit is a Bone (monograph), Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, MACK, London, UK. ISBN 978-1-910164-18-1.

Activism

Polaroid and apartheid + Kodak and Race

In 2013 he and Oliver Chanarin "spent a month in South Africa" to highlight the skin colour bias of photography during Apartheid when they took pictures "on decades-old film that had been engineered with only white faces in mind. They used Polaroid's vintage ID-2 camera, which had a "boost" button to increase the flash – enabling it to be used to photograph black people for the notorious passbooks, or "dompas", that allowed the state to control their movements."

Spirit is a Bone

Another project with Oliver Chanarin is Spirit is a Bone in which they try to tackle the dangers of facial recognition (e.g. in Russia) which highlights how the photographed faces do not show any contact between object and photographer and, reduced to their jobs, thus become " the digital equivalent of a death mask".

Baby It's Cold Outside

In 2016 just before the Brexit referendum he and Oliver Chanarin designed and sold ethically made t-shirts bearing the slogan "Baby It’s Cold Outside" referencing the 1940s eponymous Christmas song to protest against a possible exit from the EU. "My family escaped Europe before the holocaust, I grew up in Africa, I learnt to be an artist in Italy and I’ve lived in England for 20 years. I feel at home in the world.” said Broomberg in an interview with Dazed Digital.

Selected solo work and exhibitions

In addition to his collaborative projects, Broomberg has worked and has exhibited internationally. His photographs often evoke a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, encouraging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and question established norms. His solo exhibitions have been held in galleries and institutions worldwide, including the Tate Modern in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. His work is included in the collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Listed below are the most recent:

  • (2022) Adam Broomberg "Glitter in My Wounds" @ Signs and Symbols, New York, USA
  • (2021) Matthew Krouse, Kunsthallo, London, UK
  • (2020) Bureaucracy of Angels (online), signs and symbols, New York, USA

Selected bibliography

2024

  • Anchor in the Landscape (book), with Rafael Gonzalez, MACK books ISBN 978-1-915743-55-5

2023

  • Vitamin C+: Collage in Contemporary Art (book), edited by Rebecca Morrill, Phaidon Press: London & New York ISBN 978-1-838665-57-9
  • Rubin, Birgitta, "Fantasieggande vårprogram på Magasin III" (Imaginative spring program at Magasin III), Dagens Nyheter, March 1

2022

  • Ruka, Elīna, "The (art) world of Adam Broomberg," FK Magazine, October 6
  • Phearse, Terrence, "Adam Broomberg: Rare and Bare", Musée Magazine, Issue No. 27, June 2022 signs and symbols | New York, New York | www.signsandsymbols.art
  • Sanchez, Gabriel H., "The Camera Bag: Great Photography to See Now", PhotoSpark, January 25
  • Glitter in My Wounds, signs and symbols, New York, New York ISBN 978-1-913620-36-3
  • Capone, Emily, ”EXHIBITION REVIEW: Adam Broomberg with CAConrad and Gersande Spelsberg” Musée Magazine, January 12

2021

  • Glitter in My Wounds (monograph), Adam Broomberg + CAConrad + Gersande Spelsberg, MACK, London, UK. ISBN 978-1-913620-36-3

2017

  • Benjamin und Brecht: Thinking in Extremes (catalog), Akademie der Künste
  • Co-Art: Artists on Creative Collaboration (book), Ellen Mara De Wachter, Phaidon. ISBN 978-0-714872-88-9
  • Das Gesicht: Bilder, Medien, Format (catalog), Deutsche Hygiene-Museum, Dresden
  • In/Visible War: The Culture of War in Twenty-First-Century America (book), Rutgers University Press
  • Photography And Collaboration: From Conceptual Art To Crowdsourcing (book), Daniel Palmer, Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350008-31-1
  • Yokohama Triennale: Islands (catalog), Constellations & Galapagos

2016

  • Emanations: The Art of the Cameraless Photograph (book), Geoffrey Batchen, The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and DelMonico Books – Prestel. ISBN 978-3-791355-04-7
  • Il y a de l'autre (catalog), Julie Jones and Agnés Geoffrey, RM/JUMEX
  • Watched: Surveillance, Art and Photography (catalog), Cornerhouse Publications

2015

  • Art & Religion in the 21st Century (book), Aaron Rosen, Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500293-03-4
  • Art in the Age of... (catalog), Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art
  • COLORS: A Book About a Magazine About the Rest of the World (book), Damiani / Fabrica. ISBN 978-8-862084-24-6
  • Perspectives on Place: Theory and Practice in Landscape Photography (book), J.A.P Alexander, Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-472533-89-0
  • Rudiments (catalog), Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, Broomberg has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the field of contemporary art.

2018

  • Photo Text Book Award at the Arles Photo Festival, Arles, France (together w. Chanarin)

2014

  • Infinity Award, International Center of Photography, New York, New York (together w. Chanarin)

2013

  • Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, The Photographers Gallery, London, UK (together w. Chanarin)

2004

  • Vic Odden Award, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, UK (together w. Chanarin)

Activism

When he was 16 he founded a political organisation called "Linx" in South Africa alongside other young students such as Yaёl Farber aimed at conscientising young white South Africans about Apartheid.

Hands off our Revolution

Later the same year he complained about the art market (notably Miami Basel) doing "business as usual" after the election win of Donald Trump. To “counter the voices of modern fascism”, Broomberg created Hands off our Revolution, a collaborative web-based art project involving artists, thinkers and researchers. “The language of revolution has been usurped by the right again,” opens the manifesto. “This time, the threat, in the form of Donald Trump’s ‘whitelash’ fascism, is not just apparent in the United States. Trump’s election has emboldened the right wing throughout the world.”

Artists + Allies x Hebron

Founded by Broomberg this initiative focuses on the extensive surveillance methods created by Israeli authorities to monitor Palestinians in and around Hebron. Because of their extensive use of facial recognition technology it is therefore dubbed "Facebook for Palestinians". This same technology was used in a project called "Counter-Surveillance: H2" in which technology that was previously used to watch Palestinians was converted to protect the olive tree harvest. In another project Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was invited to an “informal conversation” in regards to how the pandemic challenged social interaction.

Row with Stefan Hensel

In February 2023 he defended himself in a Zeit article against allegations of Antisemitism by Stefan Hensel, the commissioner against Antisemitism for Hamburg. Broomberg said he was afraid about his future in Germany and defended his support for BDS.

Support for BDS

He spoke out in a 2021 taz article against the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK) which ended their collaboration with him since he identified the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories as "apartheid". Furthermore he asked artists worldwide to pull their artworks out of the Zabludowicz Art Trust. According to Broomberg, Spinwatch and Middle East Monitor reports, Chaim "Poju" Zabludowicz and his wife Anita Zabludowicz have amassed an internationally exhibited art collection of 5,000 works to date; however, the Art Trust is supposedly funded by arms money from Israeli industries. Poju Zabludowicz reportedly obtained his fortune through his father's arms trade. "It is now well known that the Zabludowicz family is central to the relationship between Britain and Israel," Broomberg says.

Berlin Arrest

In May 2023, Broomberg was arrested by German police at a Jewish-led Nakba commemoration in Berlin.


References

  1. Broomberg, Adam. "Adam Broomberg". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  2. ^ "Counter-Surveillance in H2: A project by Artists + Allies × Hebron". artistsandallies.art. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  3. ^ Door, Lukas (2021-06-04). "Kunsthochschule trennt sich von Dozenten: Kunst als Kampfplatz". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  4. "About". Oliver Frank Chanarin. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  5. "DB 2013 Winner | DBPP 2013 | The Photographers' Gallery". 2015-07-02. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  6. Buck, Louisa (2021-02-17). "After more than two decades together, artist duo Broomberg and Chanarin commit 'creative suicide'". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  7. O'Toole, Sean. "An obituary, of sorts, for the 'death' of artist duo Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin - 1854 Photography". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  8. "Spring Is Here: Brilliant Things To Do This March". AnOther. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  9. "Woe From Wit - Exhibition at synthesis gallery in Berlin". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  10. "Photography Exhibition - Broomberg & Chanarin. Divine violence". The Eye of Photography Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  11. "fig-futures, WEEK 3 / BROOMBERG & CHANARIN, 25 – 29 September 2018". Kettle's Yard. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  12. "Nogueras Blanchard". Nogueras Blanchard. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  13. "No Heroes Outside: Broomberg & Chanarin's 'Bandage the knife not the wound'". ArtThrob. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  14. "Single Exhibition – ‌Broomberg & Chanarin – Not for Publication and Sale in Iran – Ag Galerie". Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  15. "The Bureaucracy of Angels". Art on the Underground. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  16. "Broomberg & Chanarin: Trace Evidence | Exhibitions". Lisson Gallery. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  17. Christoph (2016-10-03). "Don't Start With The Good Old Things But The Bad New Ones". Another Something. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  18. "Broomberg & Chanarin - Every Piece of Dust on Freud's Couch". Freud Museum London. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  19. "Broomberg & Chanarin: Rudiments | Exhibitions". Lisson Gallery. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  20. "People in Trouble Laughing Pushed to the Ground". Belfast Exposed. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  21. "To Photograph the Details of a Dark Horse in Low Light". Aperture. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  22. "Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin: Divine Violence at Goodman Gallery". Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  23. Smith, David (2013-01-25). "'Racism' of early colour photography explored in art exhibition". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  24. "Spirit is a Bone". Photomonitor. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  25. Higgie, Jennifer (2016-06-20). "Should We Stay or Should We Go?". Frieze. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  26. "The t-shirts and people supporting #VoteRemain this summer". Dazed. 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  27. "Adam Broomberg, artist". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  28. "Adam Broomberg, with CAConrad and Gersande Spelsberg: Glitter in My wounds, an exhibition at signs and symbols". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  29. "The new exhibition by Adam Broomberg at kunsthallo London – OpenCall Magazine". opencallmag.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  30. "Broomberg & Chanarin: The Bureaucracy of Angels, an online video exhibition". signs and symbols. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  31. "HFBK: 2018/07/16: Photo Text Book Award für Broomberg & Chanarin". hfbk-hamburg.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  32. "Past Recipients". International Center of Photography. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  33. "DB 2013 Winner". The Photographers' Gallery. 2013-06-10. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  34. "Vic Odden Award - RPS". 2023-09-25. Archived from the original on 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  35. "Adam Broomberg: Hands off our Revolution". Good Trouble. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  36. "Palestinians, artists and allies turn Israeli surveillance tech round to protect olive groves". SKWAWKBOX. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  37. "What's happening to free will and human agency? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg speaks to artist Jeremy Hutchison on Instagram today". THE ART NEWSPAPER. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  38. Twickel, Christoph (2023-02-07). ""Ich mache mir Sorgen um meine Sicherheit in Deutschland"". Die Zeit. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  39. "German official targets Jewish artist over alleged anti-Semitism for criticising Israel Occupation". MEMO. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  40. palestine, redacteur media. "Plus de 600 artistes et organisations appellent au boycott du Zabludowicz Art Trust en raison de ses liens avec Israël". Agence Media Palestine (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  41. Liscia, Valentina Di (2021-05-18). "600+ Artists and Organizations Urge Boycott of Zabludowicz Art Trust Over Israel Ties". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  42. Shamir, Jonathan Di (2023-05-24). "6Berlin Police Claim pro-Palestine Chant Is Banned at Jewish-led Nakba Day Rally". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-09-09.

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