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Guest workers in focus: New photo exhibition opens in Hamburg!
An exhibition at the MK&G Hamburg shows photos of migrants from the 60s to 70s. Duration: October 31, 2025 - May 17, 2026.
Guest workers in focus: New photo exhibition opens in Hamburg!
An exciting exhibition in the Museum of Arts and Crafts (MK&G) in Hamburg opened its doors on October 31, 2025 and is attracting everyone's attention. Under the title “We used to be called guest workers,” the show presents around 80 fascinating photographs of migrants from Turkey and Greece who came to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. The images, which come from three amateur photographers and one female photographer, provide a deep insight into the lives of those people who shaped the country with their work. The photos were taken in the 1980s and cast the stories of these migrants in a nostalgic light.
The head of the photography department, Esther Ruelfs, emphasizes how rare photographs taken by the migrants themselves are. The small-format prints by Asimina Paradissa from Greece, which capture private moments of guest workers from 1968 onwards, are particularly impressive. Mehmet Ünal also created masterpieces of worker photography with his portraits of colleagues. A representation that weaves together the challenges and cultural threads of the time.
The shadows of the past
A special part of the exhibition highlights the xenophobic graffiti from the 1980s, which seems frighteningly current and thus casts a shadow on the achievements of integration to date. Nuri Muslouglu, who coined the title of this exhibition, summarizes the evolution of terms that describe the experiences of migrants: from “guest workers” to “foreigners” to “migrants”. This nostalgic and at the same time critical look at the past invites visitors to reflect on their own history.
The exhibition runs until May 17, 2026. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Thursday even until 9 p.m. The entry price is 14 euros and offers a valuable opportunity to immerse yourself in the history of labor migration.
Research projects on labor migration
Head Dr. Wilfried Rudloff and his team will deal with the systematic collection, analysis and commentary of written, visual and audiovisual sources. A particular focus is on the immigrants' personal testimonies. After all, Hesse has over a third of the population with a migrant background, which underlines the relevance of the project. Challenges of integration and equal opportunities are still current issues in society that need to be overcome.
The exhibition at MK&G and the research project in Hesse are impressive reminders of the history of labor migration and invite us to understand and appreciate the often overlooked stories of migrants. Art and science in dialogue help ensure that these important topics remain in the public consciousness.