Pursuit of Happiness
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​Toby Binder, Paolo Costa, Michael Dannenmann, Steffen Diemer, Lars Teichmann

28.11.2025 - 21.02.2026

We are delighted to present works by Toby Binder, Paolo Costa, Michael Dannenmann, Steffen Diemer and Lars Teichmann
in our exhibition Pursuit of Happiness.

The pursuit of happiness is a complex and multilayered concept, deeply rooted in human nature, an inner echo of our longing for meaning, fulfillment,freedom and our own identity. The American Declaration of Independence also states ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ as inalienable rights granted to every human being by their Creator.

The exhibition Pursuit of Happiness engages with these ideas. It brings together five artistic positions - four photographic and one painterly - that enter into a quiet, contemplative dialogue. Their works illuminate the theme from different perspectives and approach it through subtle, thoughtful and visually compelling aesthetic expressions.

​Toby Binder, an internationally acclaimed photographer, focuses primarily on young people living in crisis-afflicted regions of the world. With his sensitive yet clear visual language, he provides insights into worlds characterised by uncertainty, change and challenges, but also by hope, resilience, and strength.
Binder often dedicates many years to his projects, allowing him to gain a deeper understanding of and closeness to the people and their realities.

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​Steffen Diemer, formerly a photojournalist in crisis regions and war zones, has taken an unusual path in life. After a personal downturn, he envisioned his life and has since devoted himself to the poetry and mystery of nature in his photography. 
The artist works with the wet plate collodion process, a technique more than 170 years old that renders each image truly unique. Against a deep black background, his images of nature unfold with a clarity, that evokes poetic meditation on beauty, transience and tranquility of nature.

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​Michael Dannenmann is known for his expressive portraits, particularly those of artists. His roots in painting and stage design are also reflected in his impressive, painterly portraits. Whether in ballet, choreography, directing or visual arts, his portraits testify to a great sensitivity for the personality of his subjects.
The photographer knows how to give the subjects enough space, thus creating a natural authenticity in his pictures. 

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​Italian photographer Paolo Costa (1917-1981) became widely known for his iconic portraits from the Dolce Vita era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Before thatch worked as a photojournalist, and his early photo essays captured the everyday lives of people in Italy,
reflecting a deep connection to them
and their stories.
His works on the Italian and French film world uniquely combine elegance with a great sense of humanity. ​

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The works of the painter Lars Teichmann are of particular significance in this exhibition. With his atmospherically condensed, often fragmentary visual worlds, Teichmann expands our perception of how memories, emotions and sensations can interact within painting. 
The pursuit of happiness is less a linear movement than a process that is constantly transforming itself. In his works light and dark, closeness and distance come together - an act of searching that can already be a form of happiness in itself.

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