breach of realms

echo examines relations between self-expression, attribution, and socio-cultural codes within self-portarits. Within a studio set of three synchronized cameras, distinct lines between operator, referent, and spectator dissolve. Roland Barthes' four imaginary dimensions interlink as a reflection of the cis-heterosexual matrix and gendered markers. As a trans body, I am continually navigating internalized as well as projected politics of the gaze. echo examines the role of photography in (de-)constructing traditional identity categories to develop pluralistic views of individual and collective identity. Since its invention in the 19th century, photography has played a significant role not only as a technical medium but also as a cultural tool in the construction and representation of identity. It serves not only to document individual existences but has historically also contributed to the consolidation of social hierarchies and power structures. In particular, portrait photography established tools for exclusionary practices and actively contributed to the construction of normative social frameworks. echo is works as a critical analysis of these cultural constructions and dynamics between self- and outside perception. Barthes describes the photographic portrait as a „closed field of forces“, in which four elements operate: the self-/desired image, the external image, and the craft. This interplay makes the portrait a complex and dynamic object, reflecting both the subject's identity as well as the perceptions of the photographer and viewers. echo shifts and expands this closed field of forces, examining the images as cultural signs.

Figure, Form is a self-determined counterpart to both artistic as well as social political discourses and understandings of "canon" and sees itself as an ongoing collection of queer/trans excellence and intelligence. Besides a practice of critical rejection, visibility and a formation of community are among the most important goals of the work. Figure, Form treats physicality as a sovereign medium dedicated to self-realization. No distribution for the development of social gender is ascribed to the body per se, gender identity is understood as a performative practice. Thus Figure, Form tests bodily (re)conquests, inscriptions into, and queering of prevailing narratives as a point of reference for future comprehension. The project aims to understand the body as a fluid material and works for un-doings / subversion of hegemonic gazes and a reclaiming of self, body and visibility. On show at Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen from 20.02.25 — 17.08.25

Drawing from Drag looks, the collaboration ALIAS examines methods of self-presentation as fundamental techniques in the construction of gender roles. Originating in queer subculture, Drag has a rich history stretching back to the 19th century. It plays with the interplay between self- and external perception, by staging and simultaneously questioning traditional gender roles and identities. Within this performative and at times activist framework, normative boundaries are challenged and redefined. Especially trans identities, who have always been part of drag history, profoundly rely on the analysis and mastering of these codes. In ALIAS, the process of character-creation is deconstructed, revealing its components as fluid and interchangeable. Through the explicit de-/construction of gendered markers, fixed attributions are loosened and shifted, a physical surface is understood as a fluid potential. "Personal identity is never identical to the external image and continua#y reinvents itself in the constant flow of redefinition." Roland Barthes. On show at Mouches Volantes as part of Photoszene-Festival by Internationale Photoszene, Köln from 16.05 — 15.06.25