Elisabeth Neudörfl's 'Out in the Streets' Exhibition at Barbara Wien in Berlin

German photographer Elisabeth Neudörfl's series 'Out in the Streets' captures Hong Kong's deserted urban landscapes in 2020, reflecting the dual impact of the pandemic and government crackdowns on pro-democracy protests. The exhibition at Barbara Wien in Berlin runs from 28 April to 22 August 2021, featuring around 35 photographs from her larger body of 100 images taken during her visit in February 2020. Neudörfl, known for her artistic documentary photography, documented locations like the Hong Kong Polytechnic and former protest routes, presenting scenes such as empty overpasses, graffiti-covered walls, and police barriers. In works like 'Out in the Streets (No 68)', palimpsests of graffiti symbolize sustained frustration, while '(No 86)' shows authorities painting over these marks. The series includes a six-minute video, 'Calligraphy Lesson' (2021), where Neudörfl uses an action camera attached to a paintbrush to slowly write Chinese characters for 'Hong Kong' and translated graffiti, elevating the act of graffiti-writing with traditional gravitas. In an interview, Neudörfl drew analogies between the Hong Kong protests and postcolonial conflicts in Europe, highlighting the work's broader commentary on authoritarian restrictions against protest rights. The photographs focus on the absence of people, suggesting that the streets themselves convey political messages through Neudörfl's taut pictorial logic.