Neue Nationalgalerie van Mies van der Rohe, Berlijn after 1968

Curator: This black and white photographic print depicts Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, sometime after 1968. What are your first thoughts about it? Editor: Well, the photo presents a stark cityscape. It's all very geometric and... industrial. I am interested in the choice of the print and photography together. What draws your attention in this piece? Curator: For me, the image highlights the labor involved in producing such a structure. The Neue Nationalgalerie, while seemingly simple in its geometric design, required immense effort and material resources. It speaks volumes about postwar Germany and the capitalistic impulse to rebuild a grand, modern city on industrial materials like steel and glass. Editor: I see your point. Thinking about it as a constructed space, the arrangement of materials – the sleek glass, concrete – versus the older church in the background creates a real contrast in production methods and historical context. Curator: Precisely. Consider how the building’s design prioritizes functionality and mass production. This challenges older construction, made largely by individual artisans with local materials. It encourages us to question whose labor is valued and how that value shifts across historical eras. Do you feel the artist might be drawing our attention to that social disparity? Editor: It certainly seems so. Reflecting on the means of creating art and space like this makes me reconsider my own assumptions about architectural style. It has changed the way I will now read photographs. Thank you! Curator: It’s fascinating how a building, seen through the lens, reveals so much about the economic and social forces that shape our world, isn’t it? The material speaks!