Marike Schuurman, aus der Serie Toxic, Bergheider See PH 3, 2022 © Marike Schuurman
The Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin will open its new group exhibition, Polaroids, as part of EMOP Berlin 2025. This showcase also features polaroid works by Dutch artist Marike Schuurman, from her series Toxic and Expired. Toxic examines the lignite mining area in the Lausitz, south of Berlin, where coal extraction has left craters filled with highly acidic water. Schuurman photographed these artificial lakes using a Polaroid camera and developed the SX-70 prints in the lakes’ low-PH water, dramatically altering their colours. In her second series, Expired, the colours of long-expired Polaroid film merge into one another, creating a distinctive interplay.
„The Polaroid process revolutionised photography in the 1960s. Those who have used Polaroid cameras often recall the distinctive smell of the developing emulsion and the magic of watching an image materialise instantly. Depending on the camera model, some prints developed automatically, while others required the application of a chemical coating to fix the image. In this sense, Polaroids can be seen as a precursor to today’s digital photography – not in technical terms, but because of their immediate accessibility.“
POLAROIDS
Helmut Newton Foundation
In cooperation with:
