Four

I used the photo book to connect with my three half-brothers who I didn't know before. I visited them and used the camera as a playful tool to get to know each other.

I have created a series of works with performative images that address the fundamental and important question of what makes a family today. My photographs show an observation of my own relationship with my half-brothers. Given our age difference of nearly 20 years and our separate lives, I try to get to know them in a creative way. I used the camera as a playful tool by giving my half-brothers, who are still children, a camera while I also took photographs myself. This resulted in a fascinating photographic exchange between them and me. Through staged self-portraits and through the comparison of my childhood pictures with them, I take on the role of an intruder into this unknown part of my family.

I address the politics, history, and power dynamics of domestic spaces reflected in the family through playful situations. The work can be seen as an encouragement to be vulnerable and authentic, as it is only with these qualities that one can truly connect. I photographed mainly with natural light, maintaining a spontaneous mood while using minimal equipment to create an authentic feel in my images. The link between the works is a photo series that became a photo book in 2022.