Like Father, Like Son
Anna Aicher
Like Father, Like Son is an old saying that, among other things, suggests a sense of conformity running from one generation to another. For me, though, there comes a point in life when a saying like this one turns into a question – as the quest for one‘s own identity begins. For an ongoing project, focused on various traditionally male-dominated activities in the countryside of southern Germany and Austria, I have been regularly visiting the region to photograph those who attend these old rituals. As I was never part of these traditions, they were always a bit of a mystery to me, and I’ve been trying to determine the boundaries of my connection to them. This collection, part of a bigger project, is my take on those traditions and rituals – that our fathers still preside over.
Anna Aicher (b. 1993) is a documentary and portrait photographer from Germany. After studying photography in Berlin, she became a team member at Salzburg’s Gallery Fotohof in 2018. She is currently following a Masterclass at Ostkreuzschule, Berlin. Exploring traces of old traditions and rituals in contemporary society, most of Aicher’s projects have an auto-biographical dimension. She travels constantly between the city and the countryside, turning up stories nestled in distinct communities. Besides her personal projects, Aicher regularly works on assignments for various newspapers and magazines.
Website: www.anna-aicher.com