HAMBURG.- From 1 April – 31 May 2015 twelve outstanding young European photographers will be presenting their photo essays on the topic »The New Social«. The photographers participating for Germany are Stephanie Steinkopf and Paula Winkler from Berlin as well as Kirill Golovchenko, originally from the Ukraine but now living in Mainz, Germany. The Deichtorhallen and the Körber-Foundation, co-initiator of this project, are offering a comprehensive accompanying programme.

The topic »The New Social« refers to the important political, social and cultural changes throughout Europe which enable new forms of democratic participation, while they also require a critical analysis of social values. In their photo essays the photographers refer to new life styles, manners and means of communication as well as changing working conditions, aspects of mobility and cultural identity.

Besides Golovchenko, Steinkopf und Winkler the following photographers participated in epea 02: Patrícia Almeida and André Cepeda from Portugal, Massimo Berruti and Simona Ghizzoni from Italy, Eric Giraudet de Boudemange from France, Jan Brykczynski from Poland, Linda Bournane Engelberth and Espen Rasmussen from Norway and Arja Hyytiäinen from Finland.

The photographers were selected by Ingo Taubhorn, Curator at the House of Photography, Hamburg, the Norwegian photographer Rune Eraker, the sociologist and curator Sérgio Mah from Portugal as well as Enrico Stefanelli, the Artistic Director of the Italian Photolux Festival in Lucca. The four curators supported the photographers during the development of their photographic comments.

The presentation at the House of Photography at Deichtorhallen Hamburg is the final showcase of the touring exhibition which has previously been shown in Oslo, Lucca and Paris. The third round of the European Photo Exhibition Award with the topic »Shifting Boundaries - Landscapes of Ideals and Realities in Europe« is in preparation.

The European Photo Exhibition Award is a joint project of the Hamburg-based Körber Foundation and following other foundations: Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca (Italy), Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian – Délégation en France (France/Portugal) and Fritt Ord (Norway). The aim of epea is to present the young European photographers’ various points of view and approaches towards socially relevant themes and to encourage a dialogue within Europe. The first edition of the European Photo Exhibition Award on the subject »European Identities« was visited by more than 130.000 visitors in four cities across Europe.