Hannah Byford's photographs bring together a wealth of different atmospheres. The nude is the central motif of the series, but spaces and backgrounds seem at least equally important. Hannah Byford has chosen very different models and locations for her series. The furnishings or exterior views occupy a relatively large pictorial space within the composition and predominate in relation to the naked bodies staged in them. The wealth of detail in the rooms conveys very different moods and can be understood as a metaphor for the tidiness or kitschy overload of life, explained the art historian Johann Brandes at the opening. The photographs make it clear how many intimate details the insight into a private life situation reveals and how much the outward appearance of a place is perceived as a reflection of the character of its inhabitants. The high level of privacy in the rooms enables Hannah Byford to break through an erotic connotation of the nude and to represent the naked female body without misunderstanding it as a voyeuristic sensation.
The art historian Johann Brandes (Hanover) introduces the works of Hannah Byford in an online video, which can be viewed on the KWS art homepage www.kws.com/private-rooms.
The "Private Rooms" exhibition can be seen until November 15 in the KWS Art Lounge at Tiedexer Straße 20 in Einbeck: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the visit, the current protection & hygiene measures must be observed.
