Angela Merkel — reality and fiction
Posture, hair style, outfit — everything suggests that the woman in the photos in a show in Dresden is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But is the woman in the shots really her?
The chancellor's office
Angela Merkel spent a lot of time at her office in Berlin, pictured above in 2009. Daylight is seen pouring in through a large window; the German and EU flags have a place of honor along one wall behind her desk. These kinds of photos by Andreas Mühe, some of which are real and others staged, are currently on display at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden's Lipsius Building.
Is it...?
A woman sits on a bed, her back is turned to the camera. This bedroom is located in the German chancellors' residence and reception building in Bonn, where the heads of government lived during that city's stint as German capital from 1949 to 1999. Hairstyle, posture and outfit resemble that of the outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel. But is it her?
In a pool
From behind and afar, the woman climbing the ladder into the swimming pool at the Bonn chancellor's residence certainly resembles Angela Merkel. But this scene is staged - for artistic purposes. As Merkel is set to step down after 16 years at Germany's helm, she will presumably at least have more time to relax in the future.
Under a tree
What is reality, what is fiction? Where do the lines blur - and what role does our sense of perception play? Under a tree stands a female figure who, again, could be the outgoing chancellor. But it isn't Merkel at all: Andreas Mühe photographed his 70-year-old mother, Annegret Hahn, in a typical Merkel pose.
Under a tree — take two
The real Angela Merkel under a tree: Andreas Mühe took this photo of the German chancellor in 2008. She seems to be lost in thought, her face is turned away from the camera.
On the patio
A woman is on the patio of the chancellor's bungalow in Bonn. The figure and silhouette that is visible through sheer curtains suggests that it's Angela Merkel. But it could also be a very convincing statue, for example. Photo artist Andreas Mühe already sees Merkel as a "historical figure" and stages her in the same way.
In the photo studio
Angela Merkel looks rather relaxed in this 2011 official photo by Andreas Mühe. It is one of the photos on display alongside shots with Merkel look-alikes at the Dresden show.