Hans Georg Berger's First Italian Retrospective Opens in Milan

The first Italian retrospective of photographer, writer, and philosopher Hans Georg Berger (born 1951 in Trier) is on view at Galleria 29 Arts in Progress in Milan. The exhibition features over thirty silver gelatin prints on baryta paper, characterized by a large grain that evokes a mystical search for truth. Berger, who also studied religion and taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bangkok, describes his approach as intuitive yet meditative, rejecting the snapshot aesthetic. His work includes documentation of Laotian monks' vesting rituals and the election of a young Buddhist Naga, achieved after weeks of preparation. The show also highlights his collaboration with writer and photographer Hervé Guibert on the series "Un amor photographique," which blurs the boundaries between portraitist and subject. A catalog accompanies the exhibition, produced with the MUSEC in Lugano under director Francesco Paolo Campione. Berger's practice reflects a systematic decolonization of the gaze, influenced by Foucault's concept of deconstruction, and a critique of the hyper-saturation of the self in contemporary culture. He advocates for a step back from the fixed notion of the ego, drawing on Buddhist philosophy and Christian mysticism. The exhibition runs at 29 Arts in Progress in Milan.