Tribe

Tribe

The photographic work of German-Croatian artist Matthias Dürr explores complex themes of identity, heritage, and belonging. The exhibition highlights the fragile reality of queer visibility: the need for expression and openness alongside the simultaneous need or even pressure to conceal. Dürr portrays a constant play between openness and protection, visibility and invisibility, which continuously shape the lives of queer individuals.

Exhibition

The exhibition showcases portraits of members of the LGBTIQ+ community, who continue to face prejudices and discrimination in Croatian society. Dürr uses traditional Croatian costumes, typically worn according to strict rules (gender, occasion, and social context), and consciously breaks these rules by deconstructing the costumes and swapping male and female garments. This visual metaphorical approach underscores broader societal frameworks that restrict identity and expression.

In this way, the artist draws on a long tradition in art history of deconstructing symbols deeply entrenched in cultural memory, challenging rigid, normative representations of gender, sexuality, and national identity. The exhibition offers reflections on possibilities of belonging and acceptance in a society still grappling with its own prejudices. It calls on the audience to consider the tension between tradition and personal freedom and opens a dialogue on how traditions can be interrogated with respect while also serving as a foundation for new, personal narratives.

Matthias Dürr

Matthias Dürr was born in Frankfurt on the Main in Germany, where he grew up as a gay boy in a German-Croatian family, with a German father and a mother from Zagreb. After years of professional freelancing, he earned a degree in visual communication with a focus on photography from Hochschule Darmstadt in 2016. Photography (digital and analog), video, performance, and illustration were his driving forces during his studies. His life in Germany was marked by photography and freelancing, and in 2023, he moved to Zagreb with his partner, creatively exploring the connections between heritage, culture, and identity.

Exhibition

The exhibition will be open until September 9, 2025, at @dorcolplatz. We look forward to your visit!