The former GDR kiosk is being reoccupied: The FOTOTHEK archive is moving in and bringing visual delight for everyday life. Just 500 meters away, it was founded in 2006 as a »specialty shop for forgotten private photographs.« Twenty years later, this long-term artistic project is celebrating a visual festival featuring unique expositions and services around the archive of anonymous private photographs. It creates a somewhat different way of revisiting the past—one’s own, others’, and the unfamiliar. The kiosk transforms into a photo lab, a projection booth, a cinema, a competence center, a welcoming gathering place, and a guide to the city. Bingo and moments to take home are included.

A guide through the city?

The kiosk also serves as the starting point for the temporary exhibition »blind date FOTOTHEK & Anna A.«, where photography meets literature. Original photographs from the FOTOTHEK’s archive of forgotten private photographs are paired with excerpts from books in the Duchess Anna Amalia Library. This unusual combination invites visitors to explore, marvel and reflect.

The route is just as unusual as the combination itself: at the FOTOkiosk, the call numbers can be purchased as vouchers. All the ‘blind dates’ are gathered in the Study Centre’s fiction library – red bookmarks show the way. The installation can be experienced at the Anna Amalia Library’s Study Centre during opening hours until 31 October 2026. The vouchers are available at the FOTOkiosk on Sophienstiftsplatz as part of the art festival.

Further events and activities:

28 August and 3 September, 6 p.m., open air: Picture Bingo at the FOTOkiosk

The archive of anonymous private photographs is neatly organized. Among other things, the categories offer entirely new perspectives. The Bingo evening will present a selection of these.
Follow the pictures, discover connections, and keep an eye out for the winning line: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal—memories for every situation, so to speak! Hosted by Schuchi. A prize is guaranteed!

29 August and 4 September, starting at 9 p.m., Urban Space: Informal encounters on common ground –The FOTOkiosk on the road

As darkness falls, the FOTOkiosk serves as the starting point for three projection teams equipped with handcarts and slide projectors. Loaded with forgotten memories, they wander through the city, illuminating and expanding the urban space with images and conversation. The itinerary is based on chance encounters; they determine the route.