In 1987 and 1988, the photographers traveled to Lisbon with journalist Wolfgang Kil to create a travel book for Brockhaus Publishers in Leipzig, intended for readers in the former GDR. For all three, it was their first encounter with a Western country, an experience that shaped the way they observed and documented the unfamiliar city over several weeks.

At that time, Lisbon was experiencing the first effects of Portugal’s accession to the European Community and a political climate signaling a new era. The planned publication was never completed: two years later, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the GDR interrupted the project. The photographic material remained stored for decades until its rediscovery in 2021, revealing a compelling black-and-white portrait of a city in transition seen through the intuitive eyes of two photographers newly encountering its landscape and people.

With Lisbon ’87/88, these images are now presented to the public for the first time, inviting viewers to rediscover the Lisbon of the late 1980s and to reflect on the city’s enduring evolution. The exhibition fosters a dialogue between past and present, between the gaze of photographers from a closed world and that of a city opening itself to Europe.

Installed in the heart of Lisbon at Praça dos Restauradores, the exhibition highlights the shared mission of NARRATIVA, the Goethe-Institut Portugal, and the Lisbon City Council to bring photography into public space and expand access to culture for residents and visitors alike.

Lisbon ’87/88 is organized by the Goethe-Institut Portugal, with curation, production, and communications by NARRATIVA. The Lisbon Municipal Archive is responsible for the exhibition printing, with support from the Lisbon City Council. The project is supported by the São Bartolomeu dos Alemães Association in Lisbon.

More information here.