A deserted room, a cemetery, a landscape, a face: Florian Bachmeier is not drawn to the spectacular. Instead, his photographs tell stories of people and everyday life, revealing the traces left by political and social upheaval. For “Im Osten”, the photographer has brought together works from the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Romania, Greece, Serbia, and Ukraine. The photographs were taken between 2013 and 2026.
The exhibition offers a journey through regions that Bachmeier has explored for many years. While war, violence, and migration often form the backdrop of his work, they are not its sole focus. Rather, the photographer is interested in life under changing circumstances: in closeness and loss, rituals and remembrance, vulnerability and dignity. His understated visual language draws attention to what happens beyond the headlines and iconic news images.
Bachmeier gained international recognition when he received the World Press Photo Award in the Europe Singles category. The award-winning image portrays six-year-old Anhelina in Borshchivka, Ukraine. This quiet portrait of a child traumatized by war is among the works now on display in Neuburg.
The exhibition venue itself provides a particularly fitting setting for “Im Osten.” The Brückenkollektiv has transformed a former military barracks building on the THI Neuburg Campus into a temporary cultural space. For five weeks, a place usually dedicated to university life becomes a meeting point for photography, contemporary history, and public discourse. By making its facilities available, THI intentionally opens the campus beyond teaching, research, and academic life. At the same time, the exhibition reflects the university’s close connection with the city of Neuburg, which is also supporting the project.
Additional perspectives are contributed by the Ukrainian Community of Eichstätt, which will display personal belongings from home. The history of the site itself also becomes part of the program: every Sunday at 3 p.m., members of the Brückenkollektiv will guide visitors through the grounds of today’s THI campus, sharing stories about the buildings and the people who shaped them. Please note that there will be no tour on All Saints’ Day. Participation in the tours is available on a donation basis.
“Im Osten” opens with a vernissage on Saturday, 3 October, at 7:00 p.m. The exhibition will then run until 8 November, open every Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the former barracks building on the THI Neuburg Campus, Donauwörther Straße B83. The finissage will take place on 8 November at 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Photo: Florian Bachmeier.
