Peter Bialobrzeski
Donostia Diary

Donostia Diary, March 12 – March 20, 2025

March 17, 2025
„Parts of the old town are still strongholds of the separatist movement. The people of Donostia have even created an adjective for it: etarra, which means still in favor of the now disarmed ETA, a terrorist organization whose hideout and operational headquarters in Gipuzkoa was located in this very old city. It is unimaginable today that for the majority of the people of San Sebastián, it was a virtual no-go area until ETA finally declared in May 2018 that it had “completely dissolved all its structures and ended its political initiative.“

About the City Diaries
In his global, long-term project planned for 50 volumes (begun in 2013), Peter Bialobrzeski poses the question of whether the conception of the image of a city, shaped by prejudices, pre-existing notions, and media representations, can be translated into real images. He is interested in the cultural differences visible in each cityscape. He poses the question of what has already been superimposed by increasing globalization, or what remains visible. With his consistent, seemingly objectifying visual language, this epochal, documentary experiment can be wonderfully comprehended in each book and especially by comparing the individual books, e.g. for New York or Norderney.

Peter Bialobrzeski’s work has been exhibited worldwide. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including two World Press Photo Awards (2003, 2010). In 2012 he was granted the Dr. Erich Salomon Award by the German Photographic Society.

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