At First Choice II the Galerie Springer Berlin is presenting never before seen works and collections from a range of their artists. Seven represented positions and completely varied motifs and themes – and still there is a visible correspondence between the works and collections on display.

The following artists are presented in the exhibition:

Edward Burtynsky
Born in 1955 in Ontario, he studied photography and media design at Ryerson University in Toronto. In his work he explores the complicated link between nature and industry. Edward Burtynsky ranks among the most well-known and renowned photographers of Canada. His work is found in over 50 prestigious museums worldwide, including the National Gallery of Canada, MoMA, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. On display is a new piece from the series "Salt Pans", which developed in India. The eponymous book appears September of this year from Steidel Verlag.

Anna Lehmann-Brauns
Born in 1968 in Berlin, Anna Lehmann-Brauns studied photography at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (College of Graphic and Book Art) in Leipzig and completed the master's class from Joachim Brohm. In her photographs she documents spaces such as nightclubs, bars, theatres, cinemas, and film sets. People are never to be found in the spaces, yet, in an incomprehensible way, they seem to still be present. On display in the exhibition are glimpses into her striking new series, "Wildsidewest". These were developed during her half-year stay in San Francisco. Fascinated with the city, she delves into the LGBT civil rights movement that had its origin there.

Saul Leiter
Born in 1923 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saul Leiter is regarded as a pioneer of artistic colour photography. He sees with the eyes of a painter, merging in his work various artistic styles, erasing transitions between abstraction and figure. Transient moments, blurrings, alienated perspectives through foggy or frosted windows and reflections are characteristic of Leiter's photographs. Four works in black and white and colour are being presented.

Winfried Muthesius
Born in 1957 in Berlin the artist lives and works in Berlin and Drewen / Brandenburg. From 1979 to 1984 Winfried Muthesius studied painting at the HDK (today the UDK) in Berlin. This was followed by numerous exhibitions at home and abroad. Muthesius occupies an extremely exciting position at the intersection of painting and photography. The course of development of each single piece of his is subject to several working stages. The origin of the works shown at the exhibit is large-scale paintings from the artist's series, "Schädelbilder" ("Skull Images"). These images are brought to different, mostly public places and photographed there by Muthesius: Each developed photograph is now enlarged to a size of 30 x 40 cm. These images are first painted over in additional stages, then scanned, and finally reproduced and processed in their definitive format. The works by Winfried Muthesius appear in numerous private and public collections, including the Berlinische Galerie.
On display at the exhibition is a completely new piece from the series "X", which developed in Berlin Kreuzberg.

Arnold Odermatt
The Swiss photographer was born in 1925 in Oberdorf in the canton of Nidwalden. After he had finished his training as a baker and confectioner he switched over to local cantonal police. In the year 1990 he went into retirement as a lieutenant. Odermatt was well-known for his series, "Karambolagen" ("Crashes"). 32 of these pieces were presented, among other times, in 2001 by Harald Szeemann at the Venice Biennale. In 2002 a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago followed. The works from Arnold Odermatt appear in numerous public and private collections. A thematic grouping of his works is being presented.

Aitor Ortiz
The artist, born in 1971 in Bilbao, ranks among the most well-known Spanish photographers. Ortiz works with space, architecture, and the subject as building blocks to place us before a range of visual and cognitive puzzles. His work, which he exclusively presents in black and white, goes beyond documentary architecture photography and emphasizes the dissolution that accompanies photographic representations and metamorphosis of the real. He has already appeared in numerous major museums in Europe, Asia and America in grouped and individual exhibitions. Among the major solo exhibitions are included: Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao (2011), Fotografiska Stockholm, 2012, Sala Canal de Isabel II, Madrid (2012). The book by Hatje Cantz appearing in 2011 is an essential monograph about his work, which was celebrated by critics and awarded numerous prizes. On display are two large-scale works, Amorfosis 004 und Umbrai 004.

Georges Rousse
The artist, born in Paris in 1947, lives and works in Paris and Nice. At nine years old he was given as a gift his first camera, a Kodak Brownie, and the camera has been his constant companion ever since. After finishing his degree in photography and print technology he first dedicated himself to architecture photography. When he later discovered Malevich’s "Black Square", he altered his relationship to photography – he began with his unique approach to paint abandoned spaces, usually given up to demolition. Starting in the early 1980's he intertwined painting and spatial representations together with photography. Even at this time he preferred large-scale prints. Since then Georges Rousse has worked across the entire world, recently in India, Brazil, and Mexico. His work has been shown in exhibitions and museums worldwide since the 1980's. He has received numerous stipends and distinctions, including the Prix de Rome, 1986, Prix ICP (International Center for Photography), New York, 1988, and the National Grand Prix of Photography, 1993. In 2008 he followed Sol LeWitt as member of the Royal Academy in Belgium. His works appear in many international private and public galleries. On display is his piece, "St. Paul, 2012".