Martin Roemers - Relics of the Cold War : exhibition at the Willy-Brandt-Haus in Berlin, picture book and limited editions from Barthouse Culture Concepts

The cold war is over - but its traces are still visible. For forty years the ‘Iron Curtain’ divided Europe’s countries by East and West, fall-out shelters were built, armouries set up, emergencies were tested.

Dutch documentary photographer Martin Roemers (*1962) set out in search of its traces. He spent 10 years going on frequent journeys to the erstwhile enemy countries on both sides of the line : through East and West Germany, England, Belgium and the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine and other Eastern Bloc countries.

He climbed into underground tunnels, photographed derelict control rooms, former barracks, wrecked tanks, destroyed statutes. His photos bring the era of antagonism, scare politics and arms race back to life – they act as a warning to the future of peace.

A large selection from the series can now be viewed at the Willy-Brandt-Haus in Berlin. They cover the light foyer, providing both a parallel and compliment to photographer Barbara Klemm’s exhibition on the first floor, which deals with time-historical documents of the past 30 years.

Former Willy-Brandt advisor and Federal Minister Egon Bahr spoke at the private view and recalled the age of the Cold War and the fall of the wall, which ended it. Next year the exhibition will travel to the Netherlands and the USA.

A publication on Martin Roemers’ work has been released by Hatje Cantz Verlag, the art direction was carried out by Julia Wagner (www.grafikanstalt.com), the editor is Nadine Barth. Several of Roemers’ motifs are also available as limited editions from barthouse culture concepts.


Martin Roemers: Relics of the Cold War
Willy-Brandt-Haus
Stresemannstr. 28
10963 Berlin
until 15.01.2010


Martin Roemers: Relics of the Cold War
Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern, 2009
English, 144 S., 73 colour images,
25,7 x 28,6 cm, bound

€ 35,– [D], CHF 59,–


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