German photographer Birgit Kleber's exhibition "To see or to be seen" will be featured as one of the star attractions at the PHOTO HANOI'25 festival, running from November 5th to 19th, 2025. The exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, showcases two distinct photographic series that explore themes of visibility, identity, and cross-cultural connections.
Since the early 1990s, Kleber has been developing her acclaimed ongoing series "Photographers," which captures intimate portraits of fellow photographers from around the world. Beginning in Berlin, where she is based, Kleber later expanded her work to major art centers including Paris and New York. Over three decades, the series has grown to include more than 100 portraits, creating what curators describe as "a who's who of photography" that features both world-renowned and lesser-known yet equally fascinating figures, including some who are no longer living.
The "Photographers" series stands out for its distinctive artistic approach, as Kleber works exclusively in black and white photography, utilizing natural daylight and carefully staged postures that draw particular focus to her subjects' eyes. These gazes often reveal fleeting expressions that seem to transcend time, capturing moments that would normally be visible for only a fraction of a second and preserving them in what she calls "the photograph's still eternity." The series serves as a striking visual chronicle of photography's global history and evolution.
Alongside "Photographers," the exhibition features Kleber's series "Việt-Đức: 20 Gesichter, 20 Geschichten" (20 Faces, 20 Stories), which was commissioned by the Goethe-Institut, the German Embassy, and AHK in Vietnam. This series presents portraits of 20 German-Vietnamese individuals who have made remarkable contributions across various fields. The project aims to honor these resilient personalities while capturing their most authentic expressions, shedding light on stories that are not often presented to public perception and encouraging future generations to forge their own paths.
The "Việt-Đức" series incorporates a symbolic visual element inspired by the colors of both German and Vietnamese flags, with recurring use of black, red, and gold/yellow backgrounds throughout the portraits. This color scheme serves to visually link the individual portraits while symbolically connecting the two countries and their shared cultural experiences. Each portrait represents the result of what Kleber describes as a collaborative attitude between artist and subject, where she begins by demonstrating an attitude as an offer, and if accepted, a dialogue unfolds that shapes the final image.
According to Hương-Mi Lê, Programme Coordinator at Goethe-Institut Hanoi, the exhibition presents a compelling exploration of photography's dual nature. "Together, 'Photographers' seems to represent those who see, while '20 Gesichter' those who are seen in the 'to see or to be seen' exhibition," Lê explained. "Yet, by being captured in photography, all subjects are both seen and, in turn, look directly at us, the audience."
The exhibition raises fundamental questions about the nature of visibility and representation in contemporary society. By playing with the medium of photography and the identity of the subjects, Kleber's work presents timeless questions that have echoed since the dawn of modern society: What does it mean to see and to be seen? How can we ensure that more diverse voices and faces continue to be seen, heard, and valued?
The exhibition will open on November 5th at 3 PM and will be accessible daily from 8 AM to 11 PM through November 19th, 2025, at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi located in Complex 01, 29 ngách 31 ngõ 167 Tây Son, Hanoi, Vietnam. More information about the exhibition and PHOTO HANOI'25 festival is available at photohanoi.com and www.birgit-kleber.de.
