Mon, Jul 28 2025
OBEY ART SPACE BERLIN PRESENTS: TRUE FEELINGS
We’re opening our doors at OBEY Art Space Berlin for ‘TRUE FEELINGS’, a group photo exhibition. Art is a reflection of the human experience, shaped by memory, influence, and emotion. For most artists, this emotional landscape becomes the foundation of their creative process. With this project, we aim to uncover the emotional layer behind the work and to understand how inner feelings are transformed into visual expression. Through their lens, we not only explore artistic process, but gain deeper insight into what it means to be human. Introducing the artists:Sarah Zak worked as a professional hair and make-up artist, where she helped shape the polished, idealized images demanded by brands and media; beautiful, but often artificial, and ultimately in service of selling products. Over time, she realized her true desire was not to create beauty, but to show the kind of beauty that already exists. “I wanted to share my creativity freely,” Sarah explains. “Not just follow instructions, but capture beauty in an unfiltered way. That’s when I picked up an analog camera.” She began photographing the women around her; agency models, long-time friends, and even strangers she met on the street. Always with the same goal: to create a space where they could feel safe, comfortable, and seen as their true selves. Shot entirely on 35mm film, Sarah’s work is a celebration of realness and raw emotion. Her portraits are an ode to imperfection, filled with natural encounters and honest expressions. There’s no heavy editing, no forced posing, just a vibrant, fine art photography style that feels both personal and powerful. In a world dominated by filtered feeds and performative perfection, Sarah Zak’s images offer something rare: a visual relief. Hannes Gade began his creative journey in design, later working as an art director in the fashion industry. But over time, he felt the need to channel his eye for aesthetics and composition in a more personal, artistic direction which lead him to photography. Today, his work spans fashion, portraiture, and editorial, marked by a distinctive and refined visual style. Hannes’ visual language is clear and deliberate, often carrying a quiet intensity. Inspired in part by the structure and symbolism of ancient Greece, his compositions reflect a sense of formality and timelessness, whether for editorial commissions or personal artistic projects. What sets him apart is his ability to create authentic, intimate staging through close collaboration with his models. His photographs don’t just present people, they evoke connection. Miriam Marlene is a Berlin-born photographer who conjures a visual world where fantasy and reality seamlessly intertwine. Her captivating images glow with a hazy, nostalgic glamour, drawing the viewer into a space shaped more by imagination than by lived experience. Rather than documenting reality, Miriam builds her narratives from dreamlike fragments, where distorted fairytales, mythic elements, and surreal moods come together to form a rich, cinematic atmosphere. Her work evokes intimacy, sisterhood, unspoken bonds, and ritual, offering a glimpse into a world both mysterious and deeply personal. Daan Dam does photography at its purest, capturing real connections, confronting situations and society's imperfections in cities, mostly Berlin- the city he is based in- and everywhere his travels take him. What began on blurry nights out; using photography to piece together memories, has since evolved into his main mode of expression. A key strength of Daan’s work lies in his ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Whether it’s a chance encounter on the street or a studio shoot with a prominent cultural figure, his images are always grounded in authentic interaction. His personal work explores themes such as social inequality, inclusivity, and human vulnerability, yet his photos can be straight-up funny. This spirit carries through even in his more structured studio work, where he balances depth with levity. Recently, Daan has begun experimenting with new ways of bringing his images into the world, translating captured moments onto unconventional surfaces like concrete, breaking beyond the limits of print and canvas to explore texture, space, and permanence. @sarah_likesprettygirls @hanneshrg @miriam_marlene@daantjedamage Opening reception: Friday, August 8th, 6–10 PM On view on weekdays until August 15th, 2–6 PM OBEY ART SPACE BERLIN Inselstrasse 13, 10179 Berlin Flyer by: @yourichapelle
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