The Schwerin Art Association is currently showcasing a compelling dual photography exhibition that explores the concept of self-representation through portraiture. The centerpiece features Austrian photographer Cora Pongracz's groundbreaking series "8 Extended Portraits" from the 1970s, presented in dialogue with works by other contemporary photographers including Cypriot artist Marietta Mavrokordatou and Japanese-Austrian photographer Seiichi Furuya.
Nestled at the far end of Lake Pfaffenteich, where the Petermännchen ferry sits idly at its abandoned dock awaiting winter, the exhibition venue itself tells a story of transformation. The building, constructed in 1903 as Schwerin's power plant in a whimsical yet fortress-like pseudo-Renaissance style, now serves cultural purposes rather than generating electricity. Located just minutes from the center of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's state capital, this castle-like structure offers visitors a sense of suburban tranquility while housing cutting-edge contemporary art.
The Schwerin Art Association, founded in 2002, has established itself as an inclusive institution that brings contemporary art positions to Mecklenburg. What might appear mysterious to outsiders from the weathered poster announcing "Cora Pongracz – 8 Extended Portraits" on the fence reveals itself to be a thoughtfully curated exhibition that challenges traditional notions of portraiture and artistic authorship.
Cora Pongracz (1943-2003) belonged to the circle of Viennese Actionism and recruited the protagonists for her "8 Extended Portraits" series from Vienna's artistic bohemian scene. Created in 1974, this groundbreaking work established a strict programmatic framework that allowed Pongracz to withdraw herself as author as much as possible. Her innovative approach consisted of exactly seven photographs per portrayed person: two showing the women in self-chosen poses, and five additional images featuring freely associated motifs to which the subjects felt personally connected.
This revolutionary methodology transformed the subjects into architects of their own image, challenging conventional power dynamics between photographer and subject. On a formal level, however, Pongracz playfully explored the stylistic possibilities of photographic composition, ranging from spontaneous snapshot aesthetics to highly stylized artificiality. Working almost exclusively in black and white, she created a visual language that was both intimate and experimental.
Many of the portrayed women presented themselves naked or semi-naked before Pongracz's camera, reflecting the 1970s belief in sexual liberation – a notion that has been strongly questioned by the daughter of one of the subjects in accompanying publications available in the exhibition's reading room. This critical perspective adds contemporary context to the historical moment captured in these photographs.
The exhibition's dialogue format creates fascinating contrasts and comparisons. When paired with Seiichi Furuya's haunting portraits of his wife Christine Furuya-Gössler, Pongracz's work takes on an almost existential character. Furuya's photographs, displayed in long rows along two walls, show Christine staring frontally into the camera with an often almost eerie intensity, as if trying to recognize something or someone hiding at the other end of the lens. The multiply-portrayed Christine committed suicide in 1985 after a long psychological illness, lending these images a tragic aura that starkly contrasts with Pongracz's more optimistic vision.
Currently, the exhibition pairs Pongracz's work with photographs by Marietta Mavrokordatou, whose abstract-aesthetic orientation highlights the playful and experimental aspects of the Austrian photographer's series. This curatorial choice demonstrates how the same body of work can reveal different facets depending on its dialogical partner, creating new meanings and interpretations with each pairing.
The exhibition runs through January 11, 2026, at the Kunstverein Schwerin, offering visitors an opportunity to engage with groundbreaking feminist photography from the 1970s while considering its relevance to contemporary discussions about agency, representation, and artistic collaboration. The reading room provides additional context through scholarly publications that examine the complex social and artistic milieu from which these powerful images emerged.
