Jörg Rubbert
Street photography as a self-defined working field plays an essential role for Jörg Rubbert who was born in 1963 near Hamburg. It not only represents a large portion of his work but also defines his esthetic approach and his usage of the camera.
His themes are less about the city but the developing urban organism, the city as stage and action field for people who have entrusted themselves to it. It is not about the view of the city, in with architecture and city landscape or tourist sights are predominant, but the many-layered and fleeting life of the city. As early as 1986 he published his portfolio "Menschen auf der Straße" (People in the street") in the internationally renowned Swiss magazine "Photographie". At the end of the decade he created his substantial photo projects in Paris, New York and Berlin of which an extract is shown herein.
In all locations one common principle exists for all his work with the camera: For him back-and-white photography represents the ideal way to capture life in the big city. He always relies on the existing lighting conditions ‒ no illumination, no flash or other technical refinements. He selects for his shots standard lenses to have to let the framed detail appear as authentic as possible.
Even today Jörg Rubbert takes analog pictures. He avoids any manipulations in his reproductions. That is why his finished prints are not high-resolution pictures of survey photograph character which could give in-depth-view of the urban fabric but mood pictures painted with light, sometimes grainy, picturesque and full of contrast.
The results are timeless pictures which show a strong interest for social themes and deep empathy for the interests of people: he is mostly interested in people who are on the edge of society - their daily struggle for a perspective and recognition within society.
Rubbert represents the humanistic directions of photography which aims to put - with its focus on the person in their social environment -even the small stories of everyday life in the center of attention. Jörg Rubbert was a gallerist and member of the Fotografenvereinigung AFF (Atelier Freier Fotografen) in Berlin from 2009 to 2014.
