60 years of HHU: Festive exhibition shows the transformation of the campus!

60 years of HHU: Festive exhibition shows the transformation of the campus!

On September 12, 2025, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) will open the photo exhibition “visus campus – 60 years of HHU”. This exhibition is presented by the photography group PHOS on the occasion of the university's sixtieth anniversary. It will be on display every weekday in the university building on Schadowplatz until November 20, 2025.

The HHU was founded in 1965 and has experienced constant change since then. The current exhibition focuses on the architectural developments on the campus and the people who live and work there. Uwe Schmid, the head of the photo group PHOS, emphasizes the process of conscious seeing in photography, which is about looking at the environment in a new way and capturing it.

Detailed insights into photography

The exhibition includes a total of 45 photographs that incorporate a variety of techniques and perspectives. Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbeck, Rector of the HHU, emphasizes that the images offer new perspectives on the campus. Also Prof. Dr. Georg Pretzler, the head of the university building, praises the diversity of the imagery and its emotional power.

The photo group PHOS, which was founded in 1995 by Olga Kaloussi at the Düsseldorf Adult Education Center, has since then made a name for itself. The name “PHOS” means “light” and symbolizes the group’s creative energy. Under the leadership of Uwe Schmid, who has led the group since the beginning of 2023, it has taken part in various projects, including most recently the düsseldorfphoto+ Biennale 2024.

Insight into the history of photography

The importance of photography as a subject of research and teaching is clear not only at the HHU, but also at the Folkwang University of the Arts. This institution has a long tradition of critical reflection on photography. The “Photography Studies and Research” course deals comprehensively with the almost two-hundred-year history of photography.

Through the scientific examination of various paradigms such as aesthetics, phenomenology and postcolonial studies, the aim is to gain a better understanding of the diversity of photography. Folkwang University also offers opportunities for scientific in-depth study through its degrees and research seminars.

Events such as research colloquia also take place regularly, which appeal not only to students but also to external scientists. With a variety of exhibitions in the past, such as “Passages” in 2022, the university has significantly highlighted its contribution to the history of photography.

For those interested, the exhibition “visus campus – 60 years of HHU” is an extraordinary opportunity to experience PHOS’s photographs. The opening times are from Monday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. More information can be found on the website Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences or that Folkwang University.