lecturerFoto: Jessica Backhaus

Biography

Jessica Backhaus (*1970, Germany/USA) is considered one of the most important representatives of contemporary photography from Germany. Her work has been shown internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the National Portrait Gallery, London, at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin and at MARTA Herford. The Kunsthalle in Erfurt dedicated a large museum exhibition to Jessica Backhaus in 2013. Jessica Backhaus’ works also have a permanent place in important collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Margulies Collection, Miami, the Art Collection of the Taunus Sparkasse, Bad Homburg, the Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt and the ING Art Collection, Brussels. Eight monographs are available from Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg.
Jessica Backhaus studied photography and visual communication in Paris and lived in New York between 1995 and 2009. Since 2010 the artist has been living and working in Berlin again.

Exhibitions (selection)
2023 – The Nature of Things, Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin
2022 – About Color, Carlos Carvalho Contemporanea, Lissabon
2018 – Eternity in an hour, Goethe-Institut, Paris
2013 – Classic-Contemporary, Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt

Publications (selection)
Cut Outs, Kehrer Verlag, 2021
A Trilogy, Kehrer Verlag, 2017
Six degrees of freedom, Kehrer Verlag, 2015
Women Photographers, Boris Friedewald,, Prestel, 2014

www.jessicabackhaus.net

Jessica Backhaus
Forgotten objects, peeling wallpaper in an old house, old phone books blowing in the wind, a paperweight bathed in sunlight and the details of an intimacy that only an eye trained how to see can transform into images. In recent years, Jessica Backhaus has repeatedly come up with great pictorial solutions with her artistic-narrative photographs, both in the single image and in the sequence. So far your work has been a fascinating interplay between depiction of reality and enigmatic abstraction.
Jessica Backhaus is always looking for new means of expression. The artist focuses on everyday objects and situations and repeatedly views the world through her camera from unusual perspectives. Staged still lifes, collages and minimalist color and light experiments emerge from her free play with materials.
seminar content
About visual poetry, color and intuition
Shape, light and color describe the visual story of Jessica Backhaus in a concise and completely natural way. It is precisely these elements that will prompt the participants of the one-year seminar to reconsider the potential that lies in simple things. Backhaus’ work is the result of a perfect balance between poetic inspiration and the highest precision. The composition of an image, the visual poetry, the creation of a photo book and the careful preparation of an exhibition are all aspects that will be covered during the seminar. Part of the seminar is also dedicated to presenting inspirations that are alive and important in Backhaus’ artistic life. The seminar is intended to provide a space for creative exchange. Among other things, it is also about the participants being supported and finding and developing their very own visual language. At the end of the year there will be an exhibition where the resulting works will be presented. The group of participants will have a lively exchange with Jessica Backhaus through individual and group discussions. There will also be some diverse presentations.
dates seminar
Winter 2023/24
23.09.23 Sa 10am – 6pm
24.09.23 Su 10am- 6pm
29.10.23 Su 10am – 6pm
26.11.23 Su 10am – 6pm
16.12.23 Sa 10am – 6pm