A wondrous world of dazzling illusions and crafty (dis)simulations, authentic space of daring feats and extreme acts, a field of adventure and drama – all this and more is the sandy arena that lives – and dies – by suspense, contrast, and contradiction, which we know as the circus. The power and poetics of this exceptional cultural phenomenon, with its many facets, are portrayed in the circus photographs of Jürgen Bürgin. Intrigued by the concentration and interplay of colours, lights, shadows and movements, Jürgen captures fleeting moments which flare up in the Ring. However, in the “Circus Bürgin” shadows are narratives. This is a project by Anna-Sophie Jürgens and Jürgen Bürgin.