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Mumkin Sura?

Egypt 1983 - Photographs by Dirk Altenkirch

14.05.2024 - 20.10.2024 ,
Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst - SMÄK (State Museum of Egyptian Art)

  • Ticket shop.
  • Museum café.
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Accessibility
partly accessible
Opening Times
Open today 10:00-18:00
Address
Gabelsbergerstraße 35
80333 München
Contact

The photographer Dirk Altenkirch, born in Karlsruhe in 1955, studied architecture and dedicated himself to photography as a medium for communicating architecture.
While still a student, he accompanied the archaeological excavations in Qantir (Egypt) as a photographer in 1983. In addition to everyday excavations, he also documented people and places in the capital Cairo and in the oases of the Western Desert (Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga). Dirk Altenkirch is particularly interested in the people, whom he observes without staging as they go about their everyday tasks and portrays with great expression.
"Mumkin Sura?" ("May I take a photo of you?") is representative of the interaction between the photographer and the person portrayed and accompanied Dirk Altenkirch on his journey like a fixed sentence. As the very personal photos impressively show, the question was usually answered with a heartfelt "yes".

Last edited on 26.06.2024

Additional information

Image gallery

Black and white image of a rural scene: a shepherd with some sheep on a path (opens enlarged image)
© Dirk Altenkirch, 1983
older man with a scarf around his head and a water pipe (opens enlarged image)
Man with water pipe, Cairo © Dirk Altenkirch, 1983

Associated museum

Museum / Exhibition Centre: Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst - SMÄK (State Museum of Egyptian Art)

The portal of the completely underground Egyptian Museum looks like the entrance to an ancient Egyptian royal tomb - and surprises visitors after they pass through with rooms illuminated by daylight....

Location: München