BERLIN, GERMANY.- Galerie Schwarz Greifswald presents Manfred Hamm - The Magic of the Empty Space, on view through 8 September, 2007. Manfred Hamm was born in 1944 in Zwickau in Saxony, he spent his childhood in Cologne, and has been living in the West of Berlin since 1967. He is one of the most renowned contemporary architecture and industrial photographers - the complexity of his photographic work is quite unparalleled.

Hamm's central interest is owed to the architecture of the height of the industrial age in 19th century Europe. In the last years over 30 of his books have been published, all related to European topics. Among them books about coffeehouses, coal-mines, the steel and textile industry, churches, and "Railway Stations in Europe".
Upcoming publications: "Markthallen in Europa" and "Börsen in Europa" as well as a book about the Schinkel school of architecture.

Manfred Hamm's projects are all long-term. He has followed some topics for decades, some for over 30 years, the most recent photographs were taken in 2007. His archive is filled with historical documents - architectural treasures, many of which no longer exist.

As a rule architecture is most often shown empty and from a central perspective. Ideally buildings are shown from the outside in Spring or Autumn, when the trees have no leaves. The sky is hazy, serving as a neutral white background.

Time plays an important role in his work. Waiting for perfect conditions can become a priority. Snapshots are not possible with his conventional large format camera technique - and this is exactly what lends these photographs their extraordinary appeal.

The exhibition: "Die Magie des leeren Raumes" ("The Magic of the Empty Space") collects a range of images from different dates, among them some of his colour photographs, which have never been exhibited before - here they are shown as large format views. The scope of depicted spaces ranges from rooms which are sometimes only empty for a few hours, such as the Bibliothek Geneviève in Paris, to buildings which have been abandoned completely, such as the once so majestic tobacco factory "Tabacalera" in San Sebastian.

The spaces photographed carry an atmosphere of magical silence. At the same time the rooms seem to tell us a lot about the people that lived there and the time they were built. Due to the manner in which Manfred Hamm captures them, even the most remote and neglected building art recapture their dignity.