THE MAKING OF “étoile” von GOSBERT GOTTMANN

Weariness in the modern world has been and continues to be a central theme for Frankfurt-based photographic artist Gosbert Gottmann. Over the past three decades, he has created a unique visual universe, anticipating much of what now confronts us with pressing urgency.

Gottmann’s artistic means have always been diverse: black-and-white photographs, video works, media war images photographed directly from the television screen, images from newspapers and magazines, or street-photography—such as marathon runners pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion.

After numerous publications, Gottmann most recent photobook, bears the simple title of “étoile”: bringing together earlier and new experimentatal images.

Celina Lunsford, Artistic Director of the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt and co-editor, writes in her contribution: “A magical realism, born of solitude and dreams.”

The concept behind the Frankfurt based photographer’s book will be discussed in a panel with the photographer Gosbert Gottmann, Celina Lunsford (Editor and Author), Victor Balko (Designer) and moderated by Sabine Königs.

Born and raised in the Black Forest, Gosbert Gottmann studied and received his PhD in economics in Mannheim. His conceptual photo series date back to the 1990s, such as “Marathon People”, first exhibited at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt in 1997. Many of his bodies of work have been shown internationally in museums, galleries, and festivals. Leading magazines have published his works. To date, seven books have been published, most recently “étoile” (2025), in collaboration with Celina Lunsford and Victor Balko.

Celina Lunsford is a curator of photography and other media. As artistic director of the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Lunsford is responsible for the exhibitions program, the FFF Academy and co-curator for the RAY Triennale. As a juror and nominator for many prizes, including the Shpilman International Prize and Prix Pictet her expertise is globally recognized. Lunsford has curated and written for other organisations such as Fundación Mapfre, Fundación Telefónica, Photography Festival Łódź and Lianzhou International Photography Festival and the Houston Fotofest. She writes for photographers and has mentored for Olympus Recommended Award, the Joop Swart Masterclass and ASEF (Asia-Europe Foundation) Forum for Photographers. She is a member of the DGPh (German Society of Photography) and was the Vice President of the DFA (German Academy of Photography) from 2010–2018. Since 2022 she is an Honorary Professor at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.

Victor Balko is a graphic designer specializing in book design. After studying typography and photography at the Offenbach University of Art and Design, he worked as an art director at Steidl in Göttingen from 2013 to 2018. In addition to photo books and art catalogs, he designed a new visual appearance for the publishing house. From 2010 to 2015, he was co-founder, co-editor and designer of Album, a magazine for contemporary artistic photography. In 2018, he founded his own studio, which he runs in Frankfurt am Main. His clients include renowned museums, publishers and artists from Germany and abroad.

Sabine Königs is a cultural journalist and author.