We admit it: We are fans. Of Savannah van der Niet – after all, she has been part of the Cee Cee team for many years. Besides her always optimistic and helpful nature, we also love her work: Savannah simply has an eye for special compositions and is above all a real explorer: she sees the details that others miss and makes Berlin appear in the best light. And now some of her private work is on display! In the middle of Weserstrasse, where the forest is probably at its scarcest, Australian photographer Savannah van der Niet opens her exhibition “This City is a Forest” tomorrow (Sept. 29, 2023) at Backhaus Projects. In images of simple fierceness that are as harmonious as they are balanced, she portrayed trees for over four years. The tree that stands in Savannah’s mother’s garden, the trees in strangers’ gardens from which she picked leaves for her father’s tea, and those that were particularly suited to climbing around in her homeland – when the trees in Berlin rest between the seasons, the photographer feels homesickness and longing for her homeland. Most of the body of work on display was taken in Berlin – other shots from Scotland, Australia, Spain, Slovenia and Italy complement the series and thus also tell the story of the artist’s own arrival. Delicate, austere, trees speak to the viewer, the tranquil plants brought into focus with complex personalities, often contrasting with the surrounding city. The exhibition is accompanied by a lively program: paper collages, a film screening and reading amidst the simple trees – amidst the city. Oh how nice that there is so much of everything in Berlin.
Text: Alina Herbel / Photos: Savannah van der Niet
“This City is a Forest” at Backhaus Projects, Weserstr.168, 12045 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Vernissage 29.09.2023 18–22h. The exhibition runs until 06.10., 12–18h.
You can buy tickets for the workshops and film screenings here.
@savvyv
@backhaus_projects
