Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld observes a single individual, a young man named Brad Kroenig. Kroenig is alone, but not lonely. He has no secrets from the camera and has an unusual freedom in his dealings with it; being photographed is his calling, his talent. With his very personal, changing, masculine grace he is totally present, but inwardly, he is absent, full of ideas we know nothing about. His manner is that of the distant, unapproachable stance that is allowed only for beautiful people. For Brad Kroenig, the distance between mythology and modernity can be covered in a single step. He is aware of more than he knows, and does not need words to present any of this perfectly; his face and his body allow him to incorporate all these changes. With Kroenig, it is the roots of the unconscious that give correct expression to his form. He “dies” as soon as the spot light is turned off. What remains is a totally normal “all-American boy”, one from whom we would never expect such a range of transformations.

Karl Lagerfeld and Gerhard Steidl designed the exhibition “One Man Shown”, with photographs and multimedia installations, as a worldwide exclusive for C/O Berlin. A catalogue accompanying the exhibition will be published by Steidl-Verlag.