FRANKFURT.- This summer the Rhine/Main region celebrates the medium of photography in a unique collaboration: from June to September 2015 the second edition of RAY 2015 Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain once again presents outstanding examples of contemporary photography at 12 different locations in Frankfurt and the Rhine/Main region. In a central exhibition and nine partner projects, 12 institutions as well as 35 artists from 15 countries explore images of subjective and staged realities.

For decades, numerous collections and institutions in Frankfurt and the surrounding regions have placed a special focus on the medium of photography. This extraordinary concentration set the stage for the RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain that took place for the first time in 2012 and is being continued as a Triennial this summer.

Dr. Helmut Müller, CEO of Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain is pleased with the renewed collaboration of the local institutions and collections: “The RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain was created at the initiative of the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain. The very first edition in 2012 was a widely recognized national and international success. With new partners and a stronger interconnectivity between the collaborating institutions, 2015 will once again show how large the local potential in the area of contemporary photography and video art really is. Moreover, this time the RAY team has succeeded in expanding the common theme, IMAGINE REALITY, to the surrounding regions. So now, not only the central exhibition, but also the partner projects will all follow a common topic. The Triennial RAY is a perfect example of the goal of the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain to combine and strengthen the cultural activities of the region. It is clear that with the program in 2015, a great step in the continued success story of RAY has been achieved.”

The six member curatorial team has chosen 28 artists, whose works can be seen in the exhibition IMAGINE REALITY, presented collectively at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, at the Museum Angewandte Kunst and at MMK 1 of the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main from 20 June to 20 September. The exhibition is not only an inventory of the international photography scene, but also shows how contemporary artists take fragments of reality as their source to create imaginary and visionary worlds. They free themselves from the demands of authenticity and deliberately counter the flood of private and public images. Real and virtual space, documentation and staging are mixed together in their works. The desire to be free of an accurate reproduction of the world leads to an expansion of reality.

RAY 2015 not only combines the competence regarding the photographic medium, but also strengthens this sustainably through the support of 12 new artists’ productions. These are on view in the exhibition IMAGINE REALITY as well as in six further partner projects in Frankfurt and the region.

Among the total of nine partners showing photography projects are, for example, the Frankfurter Kunstverein, the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Opelvillen Rüsselsheim and the Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie.

The Frankfurter Kunstverein presents the first comprehensive exhibition of the US-American artist Trevor Paglen (*1974) in Germany, which has been complemented with new productions. For RAY 2015, the artist, Jörn Vanhöfen (*1961) conceived a new production within the framework of an exhibit in the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung Opelvillen Rüsselsheim that focuses on the social-ecological transitions of the Rhine/Main region in the industrial area of Rüsselsheim and is also presented in the public space. For the Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, the French artist, Georges Rousse (*1947) developed two new photographs that were taken in the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt as well as in an abandoned nuclear bunker, whose location is kept under the strictest secrecy.

To our deep regret, Sascha Weidner (1976 – 2015), who had planned a new production for RAY 2015 in collaboration with the Marta Hoepffner-Gesellschaft für Fotografie e.V. and the Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus, died unexpectedly in April of this year. An exhibition of his selected photographs is being presented in Stadtmuseum Hofheim am Taunus in the memory of the work of this young and already extraordinarily distinguished artist.

In this edition, the RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain is being complemented by two new partner projects in Wiesbaden for the first time. The photographer, Nicole Ahland (*1970) has created a new multi-part room series for the Museum Wiesbaden. Meanwhile, the artist, Ming Wong (*1971) who lives in Berlin and Singapore has completed a new installment of his video piece, “Me in Me” (2013) at the NKV Nassauische Kunstverein Wiesbaden. The opening of both exhibitions on Thursday, 18th of June was the kickoff for this year’s Triennial of Photography.

Further new productions by renowned international artists such as Barbara Breitenfellner (*1969), David Claerbout (*1969), Kathrin Sonntag (*1981), Jan Tichy (*1974) and the artist duo, Gusmão & Paiva (*1979 / *1977) are being presented in the exhibition IMAGINE REALITY at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, at the Museum Angewandte Kunst as well as at the MMK Museum for Moderne Kunst Frankfurt am Main.

Prof. Dr. Felix Semmelroth, Head of Cultural Affairs for the City of Frankfurt, states: “After the successful premiere in 2012, it is great that RAY once again proves that Frankfurt is a recognized center for photography. The support of the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain enables the internationally unique focus of photography to radiate into the region and beyond in the rhythm of a Triennial. For the exhibition IMAGINE REALITY, six curators from six institutions in Frankfurt and the region have worked together. Moreover, the RAY team has succeeded to develop this collaboration with other cities, such as Darmstadt, Hofheim, Rüsselsheim and Wiesbaden in context of the partnering projects. 2015 shows: there is more RAY than ever before!”