Chronicler of our time - 25 years of photojournalism by Kai Pfaffenbach

The view of the ruins of September 11th, the burning police vehicles during the ECB demonstration, Usain Bolt turns around with a grin at his opponents before crossing the finish line, Prime Minister Carrie Lam pauses during a press conference on the uprisings in Hong Kong.

25 years of journalism - Kai Pfaffenbach's photographic work can hardly be grasped and is as diverse as photography itself. Describing itself more as a craftsman, Pfaffenbach is everywhere where we are not allowed or want to be. Crisis and war zones are equally part of his work area as are sporting and local political events. A challenging balancing act in which the photographer can not only reach his physical limits, but is also exposed to extreme emotions. Nevertheless, he loves the job that is not only shaped by the dark side, but also by bright spots.

Kai Pfaffenbach has been taking photographs since his youth, studying politics, history and journalism, working as a radio presenter and then finding his way into professional photography. Since 1998 he has been employed by the Thomson Reuters news agency. In 2017 Pfaffenbach received the 3rd prize of the "World Press Photo Award" in the category "sports" for the photo of Usain Bolt, in the same year the Pegasos Prize at the German Sport Presse Ball for his photographic oeuvre and, together with some colleagues from Reuters, this year the Pulitzer Prize for photo coverage of the Hong Kong protests.

From the extensive work of the photojournalist, the Leica Gallery presents eventful and historical motifs and thus returns to the beginnings of Leica photography, the 35mm camera, which, due to its compactness and low noise development, was primarily used by reporters - at the front, Lurking in hiding, documenting contemporary history as unrecognized as possible.