What does »home« mean?

New mode, old theme: since 2017, the Vonovia Award for Photography has been presenting positions on the theme of home. The documentary, artistic and critical works of the photographers reveal the incredible breadth of the topic. A jury selected six artists for a master class in which they developed new works. Three photographers are represented in each of the categories Professionals and New Talents. The award ceremony for the seventh edition of the award took place in November 2024 and was won by Sibylle Fendt in the Professionals category and Jakob Eckstein in the New Talents category. From March 16 to April 13, the works of all six artists can now be seen in an exhibition at the Marktkirche in Hanover, which was created in collaboration with the Sprengel Museum. Other works were created by Natalie Kepesz, Klara Meinhardt, Marlene Pfau and Christian Heymann.

In her photo series Bevor es soweit ist (Before the time comes), Sibylle Fendt dedicated herself to people who accompany their loved ones in the last days of their lives as they die at home. She visited people who wanted to spend the last phase of their lives surrounded by family and friends. The intimate photographs show how familiar surroundings can be an important anchor, especially in the time of farewell, providing security and support despite the indescribable grief.

In his photo series Besichtigt (Visited), Jakob Eckstein accompanied people for several months with his camera as they searched for accommodation, capturing moments of hope and disillusionment, of closeness and rivalry. In his black and white photographs, Eckstein showed himself to be an observer of the current reality on the housing market in cities such as Berlin. His images tell of the deeply human search for a home in a city where living space has become scarce.

All participating photographers were financially supported during the creation of their photo series, and the winners each received an additional prize of 4,000 euros. An audience award worth 8,000 euros will also be presented at the exhibition in Hanover. Further exhibition venues are to follow in the course of 2025.