Oliver Sieber's Subcultural Portraits at Photographers Gallery, London

Oliver Sieber's exhibition at the Photographers Gallery in London (August 9 – September 21, 2002) presents portraits of individuals from Düsseldorf and the Ruhr region who have maintained their youthful subcultural identities into adulthood. Sieber, a passionate expert on youth music culture, spends extensive time with his subjects to gain acceptance before photographing them. Unlike the detached street photography of Beat Streuli, the clinical coldness of Thomas Ruff, or the class-conscious empiricism of August Sander, Sieber's models are complicit in their portrayal—or believe they are. The images feature immaculate white backgrounds and rigid poses reminiscent of old studio portraits that served as status symbols. Sieber captures the pride and determination with which his subjects display their tribal identities—skinheads, mods, teddy-boys, punks—without mockery. Their gazes avoid the camera, looking to the side, creating a sense of exclusion for the viewer, who becomes a voyeur. This symbiotic relationship between photographer and subject results in powerful, deceptively simple images that offer intimate access to these exotic subcultures. The exhibition was reviewed by Roy Exley, translated by Marie-Hélène Dumas.