Till Brönner is not only a multi-talented musician and photographer, his work also covers a surprising diversity of photographic genres. The Melting Pott exhibition project, launched five years ago in Duisburg, was composed of photographs taken in Germany’s Ruhr district. It has continued to develop over subsequent years, with the support of the Brost Foundation and at the initiative of the Bonn Foundation for Art and Culture, placing the European perspective at the centre. This summer, the project is travelling to Budapest with around 80 pieces: primarily portraits, but also landscapes, non-fiction, still lifes and reportage pictures are spread in large formats throughout six bright halls within the modern building. On April 13, 2024, at the opening of the exhibition, we caught up with the photographer and asked him about his motivation and experiences.
Your exhibition project is constantly changing. How do you see the presentation today?
Yes, it has changed, and I find it has done so in a very natural manner. I’m a big fan of art not remaining static and unmoving, but keeping in motion. Maybe it’s in part because I’m a musician, and my experience is that, despite a similar programme, every concert is different. Each piece sounds different every evening, even though it’s the same composition.
With exhibitions, however, the pictures remain the same, but the lay-out is varied.
It’s an exciting process. The basis for the current exhibition was the nearly two years I spent travelling in the Ruhr district. At some point I realised that, in truth, it was about much more. The Ruhr region is the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and many elements there are fuelled by deeply European themes – like people who left their countries long ago, to settle down in a new place. A search for clues begins, which inevitably brings up the subject of Europe and its significance. In the end, I realised that I myself am an ardent European, who considers this continent to be grossly underestimated.
So maybe the presentation of the European idea in Budapest is a particularly good coup.
Yes. Hungary is currently taking over the six-month, rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. The exhibition places us in the centre of attention, so to speak.
Do you see your exhibition as a political statement?
That also. What’s more, in a country that plays a controversial role within Europe. In Germany, in particular, Hungary is quickly reduced to clichés. I’m very interested in these connections. The political dimension of apparently beautiful things is remarkable sometimes.
The exhibition also offers an overview of 15 years of work, from 2009 to 2024. Which motifs were added most recently?
I think the most recent pictures are portraits of the Hungarian jazz guitarist Ferenc Snétberger, and the Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili.
And the oldest motif, from 2009, was Johan Leijonhufvud, also a musician. Why was this picture important to you?
For me, this photo is a small starting point for my affinity with Leica. We see a look that still blows me away today. I’ll never forget how, back at the time, a curator made a selection of my motifs, and the ones he labelled with yellow post-it stickers were all taken with a Leica M.
But, was that a Leica gallery manager?
No, not at all. It was simply someone who chose the pictures because of their spirit, their quality and their look. I found it fascinating – in particular in this incredibly fast world of cameras.
Back to the exhibition – what did you notice, in particular, about this lay-out?
There is, in fact, no more insightful experience for a photographer than seeing his photographs hanging on a wall in a certain size for the first time. I noticed a certain heterogeneity. We see many artists here in black and white, where a kinship is evident. At the same time, you can recognise many other aspects and perspectives. It’s by no means just celebrities in the exhibition; there are also people who have never been seen by the general public before. I’m certainly depicting a conglomerate of influences.
The exhibition is not only presenting portraits…
Over recent years, I’ve increasingly discovered an abstract side to myself. I find art and emotions in an enormous amount of places.
That leads, at times, to very surprising motifs, like when an advertisement for a fast food chain appears in a desolated location.
When looking through my work, I nearly overlooked that picture, which was taken close to Auschwitz. At some point, I took a closer look at what was in it and thought to myself: wow, this is absurd from a German perspective, but completely understandable from a local one.

It’s not just the picture that plays a role, but the subtext as well – which, once again, is rather musical.
I like that. I find it fascinating that the same subtext isn’t automatically conveyed to every viewer; that different feelings or parallels, sometimes even astonishment or even incomprehension, can arise. Ultimately, it’s about an emotion that is up to each individual.
But the European context is at the forefront.
My Europe message is simple and clear. I believe there is a reason why such an enormous number of artists, from all over the world, have settled in Europe over the years and centuries. For example, Ai Weiwei – who’s a very political artist – says that right now Europe is the most suitable place for his art. That’s certainly exciting, and that’s why this is also a plea in favour of an evolved culture and our European way of life. And I don’t agree with the conclusion we often hear saying that Europe is over. On the contrary, I believe Europe is currently being challenged to reorganise and redefine itself. When it comes to being a centre and source of so many wonderful art forms, Europe is still unrivalled worldwide.
You are often referred to as an ambassador. How do you feel about that role?
As a musician, I’ve often been confronted with the term ‘ambassador’. Maybe it’s because music also taps into emotion faster than other art forms. Photography is often about depicting reality. On a wall, it becomes emotion, or even art in the best case. However, it’s a diplomatic, opening, and unifying force that can also be political.
That’s why the exhibition also includes some portraits of politicians, from Viktor Orbán to Olaf Scholz. What can be deduced from that?
You can’t categorise me in any specific box. I really enjoy playing and flirting with contrasts. That was also the case when I photographed Olaf Scholz, for example. The motif shown here with the trumpet is the most unusual in the series. It shows a person with great responsibility in an almost childlike, playful moment. Both combined give rise to power.
And did he grab the trumpet himself?
I’ll keep that to myself (laugh).
Till Brönner was born in Viersen, Germany, on May 6, 1971, into a family of musicians. He grew up between Italy and Rhineland. He was given his first trumpet when he was nine and, by the age of 20, was a member of the RIAS Big Band. He is one of the most successful jazz musicians of our times. He took the first portraits of some of his colleagues in 2009; this was followed, shortly after, by portraits of people outside his own field – actors, sports people, authors and activists. For a long time, Brönner lived and worked between Berlin and Los Angeles. He is considered a cosmopolitan. Find out more information on his website.
The Identity – Landscape Europe exhibition remains on display at the Ludwig Múzeum – Museum for Contemporary Art in Budapest until August 25.
It is a project realised in collaboration with the Brost Foundation, and the Bonn Foundation for Art and Culture (Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn), and was curated by Prof. Walter Smerling.
Five years ago, an article about the Melting Pott exhibition appeared on the Leica Camera blog, and LFI 5.2019 carried a portfolio taken from the Melting Pott series.
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