Cliché-like ornaments in three different cities

A new photography exhibition was formally opened at Hafnarfjörður Library On Saturday, 24 September, an exhibition will open, a collaboration between the City of Hafnarfjörður and the German and Japanese embassies. The photographer and owner of the exhibition is the German Thomas Hoeren, who chose Hafnarfjörður as the venue because of the city's and the library's strong connections to Germany. The exhibition will be open during the library's opening hours from 23 September to 23 November. Admission is free and all are welcome.

The Ambassadors of Japan and Germany with the photographer Thomas Hoeren and Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður.

The photography exhibition Kitch reflects both the similarities and differences between three cities.

The word Kitsch is often associated with a tasteless style, but precisely because of its transnationalism, more is implied by the word than just gaudy, pinkish tackiness. It refers to a centuries-old human need for security and self-representation in one's private space. This is shown by the images in the photography exhibition Kitsch of clichéd decorative objects, which the German photographer Thomas Hoeren took between 2010 and 2019 in three very different cities that could hardly be more dissimilar. The exhibition strongly reflects the cities' differences but also sheds light on certain fundamental similarities at the same time, namely the need to decorate one's home with objects that provide a sense of well-being.

The photography exhibition Kitch reflects both the similarities and differences between three cities. The exhibition is on three floors.

Iceland has its own tradition for Kitch

The cities chosen are Reykjavík, Berlin and Itoshima. Iceland has its own tradition of kitsch, often referred to as 'punt'. As has been documented in Reykjavík, Icelanders place symbols of their nature in, for example, the windows of their homes. But kitsch can also be found in the gardens and windows of Berlin, the capital of Germany, depending on the season and holidays, such as the start of spring. Finally, there is Itoshima, a small town in the Kyushu region of Japan. There, kitsch is found not in windows but in small gardens in front of houses and as decoration on television sets. The most common motifs are from Western culture, for example plastic figures inspired by Walt Disney and pictures of dogs. The photographer Thomas Hoeren (born 1961) is a professor of law from Münster (Germany), a lecturer at the Münster Art Academy and a professional photographer. His photographs have been exhibited in Germany, Japan, Austria and Iceland, and are included in numerous photo collections.