Michael Schmidt - Waffenruhe (German edition)

Koenig Books 2018 

Michael Schmidt uses atmosphere-laden details with high-contrast black-and-white images of cityscapes, details in nature, and portraits in "Waffenruhe" to create a subjective, leaden picture of a still-divided city. He no longer deploys the techniques of pure documentation, but brings together surprising combinations of images to express a generation's dystopian sense of life shortly before the fall of the Wall. Schmidt evokes a world of ruptures and absences that eschews a confident, comprehensive point of view. The images work with Schleef's text to create a brusque, entirely individual perspective on the fragility of human existence.

The first edition, published in 1987 by the Berlin-based Dirk Nishen Verlag quickly sold out and continues to fetch high prices on the antiquarian book market. Thirty years later, "Waffenruhe" is now being reprinted. This artist's book - often included on lists of the most influential photographic books of all time - is once again being made available. 

h300 x w270 mm
80 pages
38 b&w photograph
German Text

ISBN 978-3-96098-285-2