With CAR_ERA, PERG presented the personal photographic archive of Hans Mezger, revealing a lesser-known side of the engineer whose work became inseparable from the history of Porsche. The exhibition brought together images of motor racing, urban scenes and iconic vehicles, positioning photography as a parallel record of Mezger’s technical career and his enduring fascination with movement, design and observation.

The private opening took place on November 18, deliberately coinciding with Mezger’s birthday. Surrounded by family, friends and former colleagues, the evening introduced the archive through personal memories and historical context. Ann-Kathrin Eisenbarth opened the exhibition, followed by Oliver Mezger, who spoke about the photographs and shared anecdotes from his childhood.

A central moment of the evening was the first photographic auction held at PERG. Six selected motifs were produced as editions of two, with one print released for sale and the second remaining with the Mezger family. The works moved between urban atmosphere, moments from motorsport and distinctive Porsche models, offering an intimate view of the subjects that accompanied Mezger throughout his life.

The public opening on November 19 brought together audiences from photography, automotive culture and design. The exhibition extended across the newly developed areas of PERG, including the former cold store, known as the Fridge, where personal objects such as Mezger’s Retina Flex camera and diary were presented alongside smaller automotive elements.

The architecture of the gallery became part of the exhibition narrative. PERG occupies a former butcher’s shop, creating an unexpected connection to the Mezger family’s own history in the trade. This parallel was reinforced by a loan from the Porsche Museum: a model of the Porsche 917/20, whose celebrated “Pink Pig” livery translated the sections of a butcher’s diagram into an automotive graphic language. A corresponding pig sculpture further extended this dialogue between place, object and history.

Further loans from the Porsche Museum included a rare six-cylinder Porsche 911 engine and original motorsport objects presented in the newly opened basement spaces. Together, the photographs, personal artefacts and technical exhibits transformed CAR_ERA into more than an archival presentation. The exhibition connected private memory with industrial history, showing how photography can preserve not only events and machines, but also the atmosphere surrounding them.

CAR_ERA presented Hans Mezger’s photographic archive in dialogue with personal objects and historical loans from the Porsche Museum. Following the strong public response, the exhibition was extended and ran through January 22, 2025, at PERG, Asperger Str. 12, 71634 Ludwigsburg, Germany.