In my artistic engagement with theatre, I understand theatrical productions not as mere objects of documentation, but points of departure for autonomous fine art photography.
Through poetic transformation, scenes are translated into independent visual worlds that reflect the multilayered tension between light and shadow. My photography creates a new space between staging, my subjective perception and the viewer’s individual interpretation. In this space, a visual language emerges that deliberately detaches itself from the production and instead explores the essence of the theatrical as an independent artistic form.
Pathways to the Image — Biography
I studied Political Science, Philosophy and Sociology, with a focus on Cultural Studies, at the University of Duisburg-Essen, graduating in 2010 with a Diploma in Social Sciences. Since 2007, I have worked as a photographer for publishing houses, magazines, press offices, editorial departments, cultural institutions, theatres, performing artists and ensembles. Alongside this, I have developed concepts and designs for independent works and projects. From 2008 to 2012, I was a member of editorial teams with a focus on photography in the press offices of RUHR.2010, WDR, Theater der Welt, as well as in the cultural offices of the cities of Moers and Duisburg. From 2012 to 2022, I worked at Theater Bonn, including as a fine art photographer. Since 2022, I have been working as an independent visual artist.
Exhibitions (Selection)
2022 27th ART FAIR, Women’s Museum, Bonn (GE) (Cat.) STAIRWAY No. I–II, Kleine Galerie, Women’s Museum, Bonn. 2023 THE FIGHT No. I, Galeria Galeano, Bonn (GE) l-e-b-e-n-s ART – Das Private ist politisch, Kult 41, Bonn (GE) HUMAN SHADOWS No. I–III, Kleine Galerie, Women’s Museum, Bonn. 2024 MAL SCHWARZ, MAL WEISS, MAL FOTO, Women’s Museum, Bonn (GE) (Cat.) MALEREI UND FOTOGRAFIE IM DIALOG, Kunsthalle im Areal Böhler, Düsseldorf (GE) 30th OFFENE ATELIERS IN DER BONNER ALTSTADT, Women’s Museum, Bonn (GE) (Cat.). 2025 MAL SCHWARZ, MAL WEISS, MAL FOTO, Museo delle Donne, Merano, Italy (GE) HELDINNEN/SHEROS, Annual Exhibition with Marina Abramović among others, Women’s Museum, Bonn (GE) (Cat.) STAGE STORIES – Kind of Magic, Kurfürstliches Gärtnerhaus, Bonn (SE) (Cat.). 2026 DIE NEUEN 2025 im BBK Bonn, Fabrik 45, Bonn (GE) STAGE STORIES – The Language of the Stage, Theatergemeinde Bonn (SE) (Cat.). 2027 STAGE STORIES – Between Dream and Reality, Universitätsclub, in cooperation with Theater Bonn, Opernfreunden Bonn and Theatergemeinde Bonn (SE) (Cat.).
SE = Solo Exhibition | GE = Group Exhibition | Cat. = Catalogue
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With Carmen, I wanted to capture the exact moment where the performer ceases to be herself and becomes the archetype. There is a specific kind of silence that happens on a stage—not an absence of sound, but a heavy, expectant void that surrounds the protagonist. I used a sharp, unforgiving light to carve the figure out of that darkness, highlighting the tension in her hands and the unwavering intensity of her look.
To me, this piece is about the weight of a character. I pushed the contrast to its limits because I wanted the highlights to feel electric, as if the energy of the performance is physically radiating from the paper. The black space isn't just empty; it's the pressure of the audience and the history of the story itself. I hope the viewer feels that sudden intake of breath that happens in a theater right before a movement begins—a frozen second of pure, unadulterated drama where every line of the body tells a story of passion and resolve