1978 – At age 9, I begin to take an interest in photography, borrowing books by John Hedgecoe from the library.
1981 – At age 12, I start taking photographs, spurred on and inspired by my first subscription to *GEO* magazine.
I took on many odd jobs—including mowing lawns—to earn money for equipment and film, allowing me to photograph extensively. 01-1991 – Began apprenticeship as a commercial photographer at Grauel & Uphoff, Hanover
04-1991 – Photography exhibition at “Bistro Bogart’s,” Laatzen
09-1991 and 06-1992 – Volunteer work assisting with the setup of the exhibition “Confronting Violence” (“Gewalt begegnen”), organized by the Weisser Ring and the Forum Fotografie Design, in Braunschweig and Kiel
06-1992 – International Kodak photography workshop for photography apprentices (selected participants from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) in Stuttgart
01-1994 – Received journeyman’s certificate as a commercial photographer
04-1994 to 10-2009 – Graphic designer at the advertising agency Holdgrün, Hanover
“BANAL AESTHETICS” (“BANALÄSTHETIK”)
01-2004 – “PRE-IGNITION” – Private exhibition
04-2004 – “BIG EGG ONE” – Exhibition at Café Mezzo, Hanover
05-2005 – “1:150,000” – Exhibition at Café Mezzo, Hanover
08–11-2005 – “AFRICA SAYS CRICKE” (“AFRIKA SAGT CRICKE”) – Exhibition at Hypo-Vereinsbank, Hanover, as part of the “Foyer for Young Art” (“Foyer für junge Kunst”) series
02-2006 – “THE FIRST GOLD” (“DAS ERSTE GOLD”) – Exhibition at Café Mezzo, Hanover
11-2006 to 03-2007 – “SALON BAHIA – CADIZ” – Exhibition at Kapaluha, Hanover
08-2007 – “BANAL AESTHETICS” (“BANALÄSTHETIK”) – Exhibition at the Pattensen Town Hall
08-2007 to 2019 – Member of the photography community associated with *VIEW* magazine (*Stern*)
03-2008 – “UNDER PALMS” (“UNTER PALMEN”) – Exhibition at the *bauhof* cultural center, Hemmingen
06-2008 – “BANAL AESTHETICS” (“BANALÄSTHETIK”) – Exhibition at Alfeld Hospital
Since Jan 2009 – Ongoing: Permanent exhibition at the law firm Pistorius & K., Königstraße, Hanover
Dec 2009 – Dec 2017: Marketing, graphic design, and event/seminar-trip photography at FORMAXX AG, Hanover
Since Jan 2018: Creative Director, project management, photography, graphic design, and content creation (focusing on gastronomy, food, coffee, interiors, etc.) at the TABEL Group, Laatzen
“MONOCHROME”
Since Mar 2019: Instagram feed “christoph.jirjahlke.art”
Jan 2023 – Mar 2024: Reviewing and black-and-white editing of an archive comprising approximately 68,000 analog (scanned) and digital images
May 2024 – Jul 2026: “BALTIC MONOCHROME” at (smow), Klagesmarkt, Hanover
Since Sep 2025: “MONOCHROME black edition” at Drähne Einrichtungshaus, Hanover
Since Dec 2025: “HEPHAISTOS & FRIENDS” at Galerie K43 (within Galerie Luise), Hanover
In planning for 2026/27: (smow), Schmiedestraße, Hanover
Since Oct 2026: With ARTPLANER
