Peter Rathmann exhibition opens

Full house in the Nord-Ostsee Sparkasse on March 27, 2019: The exhibition took place on this day "the food" opened with food photographs by Peter Rathmann in the Nospa financial market in Schleswig. Some of the 51 large-format works on display, under the umbrella brand introduced in 2017 nos.fotomenta presented was made possible by the cooperation with FEINHEIMISCH, a network of agricultural producers and manufacturers, chefs and restaurateurs.

“Nospa is one of the most important sponsors of the art of photography in the north,” emphasized CEO Thomas Menke in his welcome. Reinhart Boll, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sparkassenstiftung Schleswig-Holstein, added: “With the exhibition, we are living out the long-standing partnership between FEINHEIMISCH and the savings banks in Schleswig-Holstein in a special way: both partners are committed to sustainability, regionality, high value and quality written."

“We have to bring food closer to the reality of people’s lives” (Peter Rathmann)

Martin Schulte, head of the culture department at sh:z (Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher), quoted this photographer's leitmotif in his speech. “And what he means by this is the awareness that apples can sometimes have dents, that not every type of fruit or vegetable has to be available all year round, and - this also finally belongs in consumer awareness - that animals do have to die in agriculture “We shouldn’t suffer,” the journalist added.

“The best photo is therefore the one that exudes a certain casualness despite intensive preparation. As if Peter Rathmann had just happened to pass by the set table of some North Frisian fishermen: the knife, the squeezed lemon, the opened oyster - these are the clues with which Rathmann tells the viewer exactly this story. A story that revolves around a connection to home, enjoyment and, yes, down-to-earthness. Rathmann calls this 'the authenticity and naturalness of the images',” summarized Martin Schulte (quoted from the catalogue).  

“Food is communication” (Ines Heindl)

In her introductory speech – and in the exhibition catalog – Prof. Dr. Ines Heindl, European University of Flensburg, presents the cultural history of food in the context of Peter Rathmann's photographs in a refreshingly pointed statement. “Peter Rathmann uses the synesthesia of his photographs to create a culinary instruction manual for enjoyment in search of the lost taste,” said the nutritionist. “He takes us on a journey through the history of culinary art. The search does not focus on the unusual taste of the star kitchens. It gives back to the person who eats and enjoys the food a cuisine that, in its simplicity, can be traced back to culina = the kitchen, without provoking decadence.”

And she continued: “Food is communication. In the narrative of his pictures, Peter Rathmann achieves the impossible of developing the simplicity of the food into a sophistication of the ingredients and dishes, which gives the eating person back the imagination and responsibility of enjoyment and taste through the quality of freshness.

The exhibition “das LebensMittel” can be seen in the Nospa Finanzmarkt Schleswig, Stadtweg 13, until September 2019, 18. From September 18th to November 6th, 2019, the show will travel to the Sparkassenstiftung Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel. Accompanying the exhibition, a catalog was published in the series “PHOTOGRAPHIA BOREALIS – Edition on contemporary photography in the north” by the Sparkassenstiftung Schleswig-Holstein with texts by Martin Schulte and Ines Heindl, among others.