Steindamm Stories – Between Diamonds and Döner: A Glimpse into Hamburg’s Colorful Diversity Through the Lens of Alexandra Polina, Exhibition at the Freelens Gallery Hamburg
Photographer Alexandra Polina, represented by JULIA WALDMANN, lives close to Steindamm – a street in Hamburg as well-known as Jungfernstieg, Große Freiheit, or Elbchaussee. It runs through a vibrant district where people from all walks of life come together and which often struggles with prejudice, particularly due to its ethnic diversity.
For Alexandra Polina, the abundance of impressions is both overwhelming and fascinating. Within this space, many worlds coexist side by side: Oriental restaurants, illegal prostitution, diamond trading, mobile phone stores, mosques, sex shops, a methadone clinic, and small shops selling goods from all over the world. Despite the occasional chaos, Polina feels deeply connected to her neighborhood, regularly wandering its streets – both as a private individual and as a photographer documenting people and their surroundings.
With her clear visual language, she captures moments that encapsulate the hustle and bustle of daily life while highlighting what often goes unnoticed in the commotion. Through her focused perspective, she directs attention to the people and places of Steindamm without resorting to stereotypes. Her works tell the stories of this multicultural neighborhood and its communities – in all their diversity but without clichés.
Growing up in a Central Asian, multi-ethnic metropolis, Alexandra Polina is particularly drawn to vivid colors and striking patterns. In her photo series, she dedicates herself to the many styles she continually encounters in her environment. She takes the time to truly engage with the people who proudly display their accessories and outward features. In her long-term project Atlas, we encounter a colorful mix of individuals who present their own lifestyle and place little importance on conventional beauty ideals.
Born in 1984 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Alexandra Polina studied journalism in her home country before immigrating to Germany with her family in 2005. She later completed a degree in photography at FH Bielefeld. Reflecting her own life journey, marked by societal and personal upheavals, she consistently addresses themes of identity and belonging through a blend of documentary content and staged imagery. She works for major magazines and has won several awards for her work (including the Georg Koppmann Prize and the Grand Prix at the Lodz Photofestival).
'Steindamm Atlas' by Alexandra Polina
Vernissage: November 28, 2024, 7:00 PM
Exhibition: November 28, 2024 – February 13, 2025
Freelens Gallery, Alter Steinweg 15, 20459 Hamburg
More info at freelens.com/galerie-archiv/steindamm-atlas/
GoSee : juliawaldmann.com
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