COLOGNE.- Frieder Bickhardt will be awarded the fifth August Sander Award in 2026 for his project City Plaza. At the heart of the work are black-and-white portraits, created with a large-format camera, depicting residents of a formerly vacant hotel in Athens. From 2016 to 2019, refugees, together with local activists and numerous international volunteers, formed a self-organized collective in the building. At times, as many as 450 people lived there.

Over the years, Frieder Bickhardt visited the site on five occasions and, through his active involvement, developed a multifaceted photographic project. For his portraits, he installed an improvised white backdrop on the building’s rooftop terrace, in front of which he photographed the residents—mostly individually, in bust-length or half-length portraits, and always facing the camera directly. Through this approach, Bickhardt highlights the individuality and personality of each person while simultaneously emphasizing the shared identity and sense of community that united the group.

The jury – comprising Dr. Anja Bartenbach (representing the founding family), Prof. Dr. Franziska Brons (art historian, Freie Universität Berlin), Jean-Paul Deridder (curator, Brussels), Andreas Mader (photographer, Winterthur), and Claudia Schubert (Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur) – was particularly impressed by both the conceptual strength and the technical and formal execution of the portraits. “With great photographic skill, Frieder Bickhardt addresses one of the key issues of our time while pointing to fundamental human questions,” the jury stated.

In spring 2027, City Plaza will be presented at Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur. In addition to the portraits, the project comprises two further series: a documentary exploration of the site and its interiors, and a collection of photographs taken by the residents themselves, reflecting their everyday experiences.

Frieder Bickhardt (*1987) studied at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, and the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus. Since 2014, he has worked as an independent photographer. He lives and works in Leipzig. He is also a co-founder of the photographic initiative unofficial.pictures, which organizes workshops and exhibitions and publishes books and newspapers, with a focus on inclusion and social participation.

The August Sander Award has been awarded every two years since 2018. It was established by Ulla Bartenbach and Prof. Dr. Kurt Bartenbach. The fifth open call once again attracted considerable interest, with more than 120 submissions received from Germany and abroad.