This year’s Open Up Sheffield event is dedicated to Paul Schatzberger, a talented photographer and former Sheffield GP who passed away from kidney cancer in December 2020.
Paul was a regular Open Up Sheffield artist and great supporter of the annual event for many years. Hailing from Walkley, he was an inspirational Sheffield GP, retiring from medicine in 2007 and devoting himself to music and photography.
Whilst still a GP, he photographed staff and patients on a health worker’s trip to Cuba in 1992 and highlighted the commitment of staff despite huge economic difficulties at the time.
Paul visited Cuba in the 90s and took some incredible photographs of inner-city life and healthcare in the country.
His work also included images of inner-city Sheffield and a series on death and dying, capturing key moments in people’s lives through his warm, sensitive and unobtrusive presence.
Paul’s later works explored and presented his own observations of personal and external space. His photographs have been exhibited across the world, gaining many accolades and his work is in private collections – a lasting tribute to his skill, compassion and vision.
He could capture key moments in people’s lives through his warm, sensitive and unobtrusive presence.
Open up Sheffield is one of the largest and most successful open studio events outside of the capital, which will return in a new online format for the whole of May due to coronavirus restrictions. This year, artists will have their own dedicated page via the Open Up Sheffield website with photographs featuring their artwork, along with information about the artist, virtual studio demonstrations and artwork tours, contact details and whether the artist will be open to visits by appointment.
