– Photographer Helga Paris captures life in East Berlin
– Helga Paris, photographer of life in East Berlin, dies aged 85.
Renowned photographer Helga Paris, who captured the essence of post-WWII East Berlin, has passed away at the age of 85. Her work was a stark departure from the prevailing trend of showcasing a happier reality, instead choosing to document the gritty truth of everyday life in the city. Let us take a moment to reflect on her remarkable career and the impact she has had.
Who was Helga Paris?
Helga Paris was born on May 21, 1938, in Gollnow, a small town in northern Germany. Her life took a dramatic turn with the outbreak of World War Two, forcing her to flee with her mother and sister while her father and brothers were still away. She eventually settled in Zossen, a town near Berlin, where she was raised by a community of predominantly female workers. It was during this time that her aunts, who were photographers themselves, introduced her to the art of photography.
Despite this early exposure, Helga initially pursued a career in fashion design, studying in Berlin until 1960. She then worked as a commercial graphic designer and later as a costume designer. It wasn’t until after she graduated that she fully embraced photography, using a 6×6 Flexaret camera. Her professional photography career began in 1967, but it was only after the German reunification that her work gained wider recognition.
Everyday life in East Berlin after the war
Helga Paris’s photography primarily focused on depicting the reality of life in East Berlin during that era. She had a unique ability to capture the essence of the city, with a particular emphasis on the old buildings and the working women who were the backbone of the community. Her goal was to portray everything as authentically and hauntingly as possible.
“I’ve always been drawn to the everyday, the unspectacular,” Helga once wrote. “But I didn’t photograph it clinically, aseptically; rather, I tried to reproduce it as realistically and as hauntingly as possible.”
This approach required Helga to establish trust with her subjects in a short amount of time, allowing them to meet her gaze with a certain degree of self-confidence. She believed that every face, even the seemingly unremarkable ones, possessed its own unique beauty. In a time when only favorable photographs were shown to the public, Helga’s work provided a much-needed glimpse into the true everyday life of East Berlin.
‘Every person emits something beautiful… What I find beautiful is to be open to the moment. This is exactly what I want people to feel when they look at my photos: to be open in order to see this particular moment.’
Helga Paris, Women at the Treff-Modelle Clothing Factory 1984 pic.twitter.com/8GNJQVraUs
— Tate (@Tate) November 10, 2020
In conclusion
The passing of Helga Paris marks the loss of an extraordinary talent and an invaluable chronicler of German history. Her photographs serve as a testament to the importance of capturing life as it truly is, and they will continue to inspire future generations for years to come.
This year has seen the unfortunate loss of several other notable individuals in the photography world, including fashion photographer Hans Feurer and portrait photographer Brian Griffin. It is crucial that we remember their contributions and allow their work to educate and inspire us as we move forward.
[via Petapixel]
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1. Photographer Helga Paris captures life in East Berlin
2. Helga Paris, renowned photographer of life in East Berlin, dies at 85.
