Costume design as a mirror of identity and diversity.
An art project by Patricia Walczak and Stefan Günther.
Based on the question “What is beauty?”, the scenic and costume designer Patricia Walczak works with people who are confronted with prejudices or disadvantages for various reasons. She develops ideas for their self-presentation and visualises them in specially made costumes.
The artist’s aim is to make undiscovered beauty visible through the collaboration and to give space to the uniqueness of each person, which do not fall into categories like “the usual” or “the normal”, transform them and let them become their strength.
In places that stand for the realisation of the wishes and dreams of the participants, portraits were created in collaboration with the photographer Stefan Günther, that break through the usual approaches to terms such as “beautiful” or “normal”. The works are characterised by great intensity. There tableaus were created between supposed normality and supposed speciality, in which both the protagonists and the viewers have to reorientate themselves.
“The fact that my costumes also give people a new self-confidence and strength beyond the project, even triggered changes in their lives, makes me particularly happy.” (Patricia Walczak)
With “The Beauty of Being Different”, Patricia Walczak shows the possibilities of costume design under the aspect of a changed understanding of diversity, identity and the associated perception of self and others. In the exhibition will be presented the photographs, the created costumes and other media.
Patricia Walczak is a freelance artist, costume designer and set designer. In 2004 she graduated with distinction from the Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach on the Main. Since then, she has worked primarily for German and international and television productions (e.g. 20th Century Fox, Riva Film, Razor Film, SWR, WDR, ARTE) as well as for various national and international theatres (e.g. the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Opera National de Montpellier, Brandenburger Theatre and Theater an der Wien).
Stefan Günther works as a photographer as well as an editor and project manager. After he devoted himself mainly to architectural and portrait photography in freelance portrait photography in freelance projects and for various clients. With the the Berlin cross-border network “n-east”, he is currently developing the collaborative European partners, he is currently developing the collaborative photo newsletter publication “european images”.