photography: Christian Kain
Bettina Koller * 1. November 1966 in Munich, Germany. Based in Munich.
Bettina Koller, born 1 November 1966 in Munich (DE), is a German artist and photographer. After basic studies at Freie Kunstwerkstatt München, she graduated from Staatliche Fachakademie für Fotodesign München in 1996. At this early stage, she began experimenting with various photographic processes and materials, which remains an essential part of her artistic practice today. Questions about identity, social roles, and the shaping of existence have run through her work from the beginning. From 2006 to 2014, she was involved with cyan, an artist-run space in Munich. Her photographs have been displayed in various magazines and exhibitions, including Discovery Awards 2021, Brag (PT), and Past & Present / DER GREIF, Pinakothek der Moderne, München (DE). She has received several awards and was recently shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival (GR) and nominated as a finalist for the Sarajevo Photography Festival (BA).
EXHIBITIONS/AWARDS
2024
Finalist Sarajevo Photography Festival 2024
Shortlisted Athens Photo Festival 2024
2023
Shortlisted Booooooom x Capture Photography Festival 2024
Past & Present DER GREIF/Pavillon 333/Pinakothek der Moderne and Zirka Space/Munich/Germany
2022
Horror Vacui/achtzehnkommazwei - Raum für Kunst/Munich/Germany
Rethinking Nature/Foto Wien/Festival Centre/Vienna/Austria
2021
Imago Lisboa Photo Festival/Discovery Awards 2021 projection/Carpintarias de São Lázaro/Portugal
Encontros da Imagem/Discovery Awards 2021 projection/Finalist/Braga/Portugal
Bodies of Knowledge/Guest Room DER GREIF/curated by Mariama Attah and Daniel C. Blight
Imago Lisboa Photo Festival/group show/Rethinking Nature/Carpintarias de São Lázaro/Portugal
European Month of Photography Luxembourg/group show/Rethinking Nature/Casino Luxembourg
2020
Shortlisted Athens Photo Festival 2020
Defining Selected phase Nera di Verzasca Prize - Verzasca Foto Awards 2020
Special mention, URBANAUTICA INSTITUTE AWARDS 2020
2019
10 sec./photographic pictures/solo exhibition/CoMA Gallery-Container of Modern Art/Munich
2018
Winner Third Prize Faust photo contest 2018, Theatergemeinde München/
group exhibition Nenn´s Glück! Herz! Liebe! Gott!/Ich habe keinen Namen dafür/Foyer Philharmonie Gasteig/Munich
Das Faultier ist nicht faul/solo exhibition/MVHS am Scheidplatz/Munich
2017
Photo 17 München/group exhibition/Praterinsel/Munich
2016
Shortlisted St. Leopold Friedenspreis 2016 Die Macht der Gier/group exhibition/Sala Terrena Galerie/Stift Klosterneuburg/Austria
Winner photography competition Call for Plots/group exhibition/Lothringer 13/Munich
2015
ultraviolet/maoz vinyl/Munich
2014
Remix/solo exhibition/louloute/Munich
2012
Neuland/group exhibition/BelleVue - Ort für Fotografie/Basel
2011
Silence like the wind overtakes me/group exhibition/cyan - Raum für Fotografie/Munich
2010
FotoDoks 2010, documentary photography festival/group exhibition/Puerto Giesing/Munich
dayfour ulysses/group exhibition/theprintspacegallery/London
2009
dayfour You Can´t Always Get What You Want/group exhibition/theprintspace gallery/ London
Schwellenwert/group exhibition/cyan-Raum für Fotografie/Munich
Die Macht der Sprache/group exhibition/Goethe-Institut Rabat/Marocco/Goethe-Institut Göttingen
2008
Die Macht der Sprache/group exhibition/Goethe-Institut Munich/
Goethe-Institut Bremen/Instituto Cervantes/Institut Français Fremdsprachenzentrum der Hochschulen Bremen/Goethe-Institut Freiburg
2007
soweit/group exhibition/cyan-Raum für Fotografie/Munich
Recommendation Goethe-Institut/photo competition Die Macht der Sprache/
group exhibition/Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Wissenschaftszentrum/Bonn/Franckeschen Stiftungen zu Halle
2005
Recommendation SBC Hamburg photo competition the nature of skin/group exhibition/3.Triennale der Fotografie/Hamburg
2001
Junge Fotografie/group exhibition/Büro für Architektur und Fotografie/Stuttgart
1996
Mit Grenzen leben in cooperation with Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft/solo exhibition/Gasteig/Munich
1995
First Prize/Münchner Jugendfotopreis Spookys Beam to Munich/group exhibition/Festspielhaus/Munich
PUBLICATIONS/CATALOGUES
Spielwelten, Verein für Essentielle Gestaltarbeit, Freiburg, 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-043440-2 // Neuland, exhibition catalogue, Basel, 2012 // ulysses2, dayfour self publishing exhibition catalogue, UK 2010 // you can´t always get what you want, day four self publishing exhibition catalogue, UK 2009 // the new constellations, day four self publishing, UK 2008 // Die Macht der Sprache Langenscheidt Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3126065160 // Haut - the nature of skin, Dölling und Galitz Verlag, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 978-3937904283
COMMISIONED WORK
e.g. ADAC, Allegra, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, brand eins, DMSG, Emotion, Eurocard, Euro RSCG Zürich, FischerAppelt, Jetzt, GEK, Peugeot, McKinsey & Company, Neon, PORT, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, Spiegel Kultur, Stiftung Pfennigparade, Die Zeit;