HAMBURG.- What does a country look like when viewed through its most common lens? Today, the Altonaer Museum, part of the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg, unveils "Main Street Germany," a captivating exhibition by renowned photographer André Lützen that promises a unique, intimate portrait of the nation. Running from June 4 to October 13, 2025, this show takes viewers on a visual road trip through the 6,451 streets across Germany that all share the same unassuming name: "Hauptstraße" (Main Street).
Lützen's monumental project isn't just a survey; it's a deep dive into the very fabric of German daily life. He crisscrossed all 16 federal states, armed with his camera, focusing exclusively on these ubiquitous Main Streets. The result is a series of large-format photographs that capture the curious paradox of these urban and rural arteries: places of constant movement and quiet stillness, of vibrant commerce and lingering decay.
"Main Streets are the lifelines of our towns and villages," the museum highlights. "Here, you'll find everything side-by-side: old, established shops next to vacant storefronts, snack bars beside pharmacies, gas stations alongside arcades. They are simultaneously traffic axes and meeting points – places of coming and going, full of dynamism and contradictions."
Lützen's keen eye reveals the surprising aesthetic within the mundane. His photographs go beyond mere facades, capturing the subtle choreography of urban existence. Shop windows, street signs, and billboards reflect a multifaceted self-expression – sometimes starkly functional, sometimes playfully chaotic, and often, unintentionally humorous. It's a visual language that speaks volumes about local character and national identity.
This isn't just documentary photography; it's an artistic meditation on the overlooked. Lützen's images invite us to consider the beauty in the everyday, the poetry of the built environment, and the countless human traces left on public spaces. It's a "road movie in pictures" that challenges our conventional ways of seeing, prompting reflection on the spaces we navigate every day.
Adding an intimate, nostalgic layer to the exhibition, Lützen also presents images drawn from Super-8 films he collected from various estates. These private home movies offer a poignant glimpse into past daily lives, enriching the exhibition's narrative with a powerful emotional resonance.
André Lützen, born in Hamburg in 1963, is no stranger to acclaimed photography. An alumnus of Hamburg University of Fine Arts and the International Center of Photography New York, his work has garnered numerous awards and been exhibited globally, from Deichtorhallen Hamburg to the Kochi Muziris Biennale and Photo España. Known for his deeply personal documentary approach, Lützen's extensive body of work is captured in several monographs, including Loch im Kopf and Khartoum.
"Main Street Germany" is more than just an exhibition; it's an invitation to see the familiar with fresh eyes. It's a photographic journey that celebrates the ordinary, revealing the extraordinary tapestry of life woven along the most common roads in Germany. Don't miss this chance to take a different kind of road trip.
