Award -winning photography reveals secret traumas of men in Bosnia

Award -winning photography reveals secret traumas of men in Bosnia

The latest news from the Brandenburg art scene bring out interesting discoveries. The Lotto Art Prize for Photography was awarded on June 16, 2025. The main prize went to Hannes Jung from Bremen for his urgent series "Men Don’t Cry". These impressive photographs shed light on the hidden trauma of men who suffered sexual violence in the 1990s in the War of Bosnia. According to Meetingpoint Potsdam, the jury describes the work as "sensitive and touching". In addition to silence and fainting, they also address everyday survival struggles and the longing for a voice.

Hannes Jung, born in 1986, enjoyed his artistic training in Munich, Valencia and Hanover. He has been a freelance documentary photographer since 2009 and now lives in Berlin. The selection of the award winners was not easy: a total of 156 artists from Berlin and Brandenburg applied for the coveted photo prizes by March. In addition to young, two funding prices of 5,000 euros each were awarded. Daniela Friebel received a prize for her work "Events, 2024", while Arwed Messmer was awarded for "deep removal", which shows recordings from East Berlin of the 1950s.

art and trauma in focus

The works of the award winners are exhibited in the Potsdam art space in Schiffbauergasse until June 22, 2025. With this exhibition it becomes clear how art serves as a medium to talk about trauma and make it visible. However, this should not only be considered in the context of the price. The Bosnia War in the 1990s is a warning example of the enormous devastating effects of sexual violence in war. According to taz, over 20,000 women in Bosnia and Herzegovina were raped from 1992 to 1995, while ethnic cleansing took place.

rapes were specifically used as weapons to create ethnically pure populations. More than 90 percent of women who passionately suffered from this violence were Muslims, while most perpetrators were Orthodox Christians. Such acts can not only be put into numbers; They carry an immeasurable load of mental and physical scars that many survivors still accompany.

insight into the challenges of the survivors

The socio -economic situation of these survivors is often catastrophic. Many live in poverty, and the aftermath of violence is often reflected in chronic mental illnesses. It is a responsibility for society as a whole to provide the affected assistance - be it through psychosocial support or medical care. The connection between these traumatic events and the need to talk about how they influence society to this day is of enormous importance. As [bpb] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/gender-diversitaet/femizide-und-gewalt- against-frauen/517582/sexualisen-get-im-kmontext-wrie- und-Frieden/), have unpassed traumata and have not only the surviving themselves, but also their families.

at a time when the recognition of sexual violence in conflicts becomes increasingly in demand, it is important to also include men in this discourse. Hannes Jung's exhibition can make a small but significant contribution to telling the complex and often invisible stories of men who have suffered from this violence and still do it today. Art opens doors to talks about topics that often remain in the dark.