From 20 November 2024 to 5 January 2025, the PERG will be hosting the highly-anticipated exhibition ‘CAR_ERA’, which will open on 19 November 2024. In recognition of the life and work of Hans Mezger, the exhibition will present a distinctive collection of photographs by the motorsport enthusiast. His work also encompasses everyday situations encountered during his travels to various metropolises and locations with a motorsport focus.

Hans Mezger pursued his passion for photography on numerous trips to cities such as New York, Mo-scow and other metropolises. He documented contemporary urban scenes with his camera, which are now being showcased for the first time in the CAR_ERA exhibition. This presentation offers insights into the archive and creates an atmosphere reflective of the world of motor racing. The images feature numerous individuals, including team members, family members, and friends, as well as colleagues who demonstrate a strong affinity for racing. Mezger‘s photographic talent is evident in his ability to capture the nuances of daylight, architectural elements, and human interactions in a way that resonates with the viewer. As a photographer, Mezger was a passive observer, rarely intervening in the scenery. Instead, he awaited the optimal moment and composed his motifs in accordance with the surrounding environment. Mr. Mezger always prioritized capturing an authentic image effect. To that end, he typically used only one or two films with 36 analo-gue shots per trip or race. This reflected his considered and efficient approach to photography. Mr. Mezger consistently demonstrated an aptitude for and interest in art from an early stage of his professional career. In his formative years, he developed an affinity for American jazz. He subsequently pursued a career as a pianist in a band and engaged in explorations with oil pastels and painting in the 1960s and 1970s. Mr. Mezger had a quiet but intense passion for photography, which he never flaun-ted. He frequently travelled with his camera. When his son Oliver Mezger was ten years of age, he received his late father‘s Retina IIIc camera as a gift. Hans Mezger then instructed Oliver in the basic principles of photography. In the 1960s, Mr. Mezger started using the Kodak Retina Reflex, which was used to create many of the photographs for the exhibition. Additionally, the collection included a Minox camera, which gained notoriety through a James Bond film, and which is still in the possession of the family. Over time, the Mezger’s amassed a collection of slide films at their residence in Freiberg, which they shared and reviewed together. In contrast, many of their early works were captured on negative film or stored in historical slide film boxes. Many of the images lack copies, and Oliver Mezger only discovered the photographs from the CAR_ERA exhibition after his father‘s passing.