Gute Aussichten - Young German Photography 2021
Y a Manifesto 2017/2018

Hellwig’s Y A MANIFESTO and the collection of photographs that accompanies it can be seen as a conscious reaction to this history of avant-gardes; Hellwig expressly calls it “Neo Neo Da Da.”

The principle of radical positioning that has been valid in this context for a long time seems to have made room for a comprehensive indifference, even though this impression is not confirmed if you look a bit closer. All text fragments fit into a definable pop-culture environment, which is formed from a specific canon of literary quotes, advertising slogans, liberal statements, internet tutorials, or song texts. This context even makes the term “whatever,” which keeps coming up in this context, into a sort of decisive plea. In Lorraine Hellwig’s photographs it is actually possible to find something that can be called “we”: the “we” of a globalized, urban middle class with self-confident consumer habits, excessive networking, and ample knowledge of pop culture. There is also a denial of the radical negations of the old avant-gardes, along the lines of “It’s the economy, stupid!”. But who knows how it will continue? Incidentally Lorraine Hellwig’s Y A MANIFESTO ends with the statement, “It’s not the end (!!!).” (written by Dr. Thomas Niemeyer).
 

Lorraine Hellwig

www.lorrainehellwig.com
 
© privat Lorraine Hellwig was born 1993 in Munich, Germany. In 2018 she finished her Bachelor studies in Photographic Design at Munich University of Applied Sciences. She lives in Paris, France, and works as a freelance photographer mostly in the fields of fashion and editorial.