'100 Faces of Viet Nam', KOLGA Award nomination, 12.05.16

Proud announcement: 
my portrait images from Viet Nam are voted to be among the best photo projects created in 2015 and are shortlisted for the KOLGA AWARD in the documentary category!!!

Eight images were chosen by international jury members and they will be exhibited during the photography festival during May 2016 in Tbilisi, Capital City of Georgia.

The images have been commissioned in between 2013 - 2015 and are planned to be published as a portrait book with the title '100 Faces of Viet Nam' in 2017.

And there is more good news: another one of my images got nominated for the category 'One Shot'. The picture of 'Lassana, the Poultry Breeder' was taken during my artist residency at Waaw in Saint Louis, Senegal (from the series 'Made in Senegal', 2015).

Venue for the exhibition: 14 Kostava Street, Tbilisi, Georgia
Opening event: 12 May, 2016, from 6pm
Festival duration: 12 -19 May 2016

Further information can be found here: http://kolga.ge

There will also be an overall winner for each category. Please keep your fingers crossed for me :)))

2nd German Solo Show: 'Hairdressers' Exhibition, 13.04 – 13.05.16

Another exciting announcement: my

'Hairdressers'

have been selected to highlight the opening event at the German Hairstylists convention in Saarbrücken. The annual convention is held by the Trade Cooperation and supported by the Landesinnung Friseure and Kosmetik

(Guild for Hairstylists and Beauty).

Venue:

Handwerkskammer des Saarlandes (Trade Cooperation of Saarland), Hohenzollernstrasse 47 - 49, 66117 Saarbrücken, Germany

Opening event:

Thursday, 14th April 2016, from 6.00pm

The series 'Hairdressers’ is inspired by the novel

Egalia's Daughters

in which the protagonists swapped gender based roles. The images are questioning our perception on what is regarded as ‘normal’ and what is ‘

acceptable

’ in our society. Perhaps it’s time for men to get emancipated, when it comes to style?

'Đà Nẵng: COASTAL City', Book Publishing Events, 28 & 29.03.2016

The final photo book is ready!!! This is the last one out of three publications, dealing with urban city development and modern life in Vietnam. It is finally printed and will be available from end of March.

In the years 2013 / 2014 & 2015 I was commissioned to take photographs of people in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. In each place I visited around 30 people in their homes or at work and asked them about their life in Vietnam. The outcome is forming one chapter in each book, which otherwise documents the urban developments of Vietnam's fast growing cities - in between ancient traditions and culture. The latest photo book is describing the urban challenges of the coastal city Da Nang, followed by the towns Hoi An and Hue.
In case you are lucky and currently in Vietnam, there are two launch events you could attend:

The first one will take place on 28th March at 7pm
Venue: Da Nang Library, 46 Bach Dang, Da Nang City.

The second one is on 29th March at 7pm
Venue: Goethe Institute Hanoi, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hanoi. Click here for information.

Being involved in this project was an absolute privilege; it brought the people of Vietnam close to my heart and I will never forget the hospitality and generosity I experienced. I hope I made you curious to visit Vietnam yourself. Or buy the book; it can soon be ordered via Amazon. It is published at 'Fine Art Publishing House', Hanoi, by editor Michael Waibel. ISBN 978-604-78-4045-8

‘LensCulture Exposure Awards 2015’: Finalist Award

Just on time for the beginning of the ‘Year of the Monkey: my images from Vietnam have been awarded once again. I’m delighted to announce that the international jury has selected me to be a Finalist at the LensCulture Exposure Award!

LensCulture received submissions from photographers in over 100 countries. Being one of the finalists is a great honor and personal accomplishment – I am very proud that my work has been chosen as one of the best of the best! Please have a look at my LensCulture portfolio.

The featured portfolio 100 Faces of Viet Nam is showing a selection of portraits across Viet Nam, representing a society, which is on the brink of change. It shows the people from a developing country caught between tradition and modernity. These photographs exist because of a commission for 3 photo books: I went out there 3 times on behalf of Michael Waibel and the Goethe Institute Hanoi. Last not least, they also exist because of my love for this country and for the wonderful people I met during this assignment. Thank you, all of you!!!

By the way, the Winners & Finalists of the 2015 Exposure Awards will be exhibited at 
Somerset House during Photo London — London’s Premier Photography Fair!

Venue & date: Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2R 1LA, 19 - 22 May 2016

'Social Documentary Network': Featured Photographer of the Month, January 2016

Announcement: This month I was honored for my book project 100 Faces of Viet Nam by the organization Social Documentary Network and featured on their SPOTLIGHT newsletter.

Their comment: "At a time of so much tension in the world, it is heartening to see an exhibit about a country experiencing a renaissance of human potential 40 years after fighting and winning a devastating war against the U.S. and has now come to be our friend. Schulz's photographs are heavily influenced by her theater and TV background as evidenced by the impeccable composition and lighting of each frame. She also adds  intimate and important details about her subjects. Astrid's words and photos together weave an important story about the resiliency of the human spirit".

The featured portfolio 100 Faces of Viet Nam is showing a selection of portraits across Viet Nam, representing a society, which is on the brink of change. It shows the people from a developing country caught between tradition and modernity. Photographed in 5 different cities from the North to the South, these portraits allow a view into people’s homes and work places plus an insight into their lives and concerns – some of them are unexpected...

Have a look at: http://socialdocumentary.net/exhibit/Astrid_Schulz/3242

Reminder: ‘Portrait Salon’ in Tokyo, 13.02 - 28.02.2016

As already announced, the Portrait Salon selection from 2015 will travel to The Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery in Tokyo and one of my portraits from 'Made in Senegal' has been selected to be exhibited.

In case you are near Japan, this is how you get there:
Venue: Reminders Photography Stronghold
Address: 131-0032, 2-38-5, Higashi-mukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Opening: Saturday, 13th February, 1pm

This exhibition was first shown at Embassy Tea Gallery in London in November. It shows prints from photographers that submitted to and were rejected by the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

'Admiral Zheng He', History Documentary

News from the costume front: I finally received some images of a rather interesting assignment. In September 2015 I was hired to design and create 3 characters from the 15th Century Ming Dynasty in China.

Have you heard about Admiral Zheng He? He was commanded expeditionary voyages and 'discovered' new territories such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia and East Africa from 1405 to 1433. His larger ships stretched 400 feet in length (Columbus's Santa Maria, for comparison, was 85 feet). During his first voyage he commanded 62 ships and 27,800 men! A fascinating story indeed.
The documentary inserts were created at Camberwell Studios and are going to be used as parts of a contemporary drama. It will be interesting to watch the final result in 2016...

'fLIP Magazine' no 32, Winter Issue 2015

Magic will great you on the cover of the next fLIP magazine - or is it an illusion?

fLIP is an independent magazine, which is published three times per year by the London Independent Photographers (LIP).  This years winter issue (no 32) carries the title 'Illusion' and is featuring one of my photographs on its cover.


The image is called ‘Dove: looking for work’. It is from the series Magic Man, which is telling a story about a magician, that has a 'week of bad luck'. His rabbit is refusing to come out of the hat and his magic tricks are going wrong. But hope is on the horizon: a dove appears which is looking for work... Is the tide about to turn for our magic man?

fLIP magazine 
is available at various stockists across London, including the Tate Modern Bookshop, National Portrait, Serpentine Gallery Bookshop, Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop and many more.

‘Portrait Salon’, Group Show, 19.11 – 22.11.2015

Another exhibition opportunity arises: one of my Senegal portraits (food series) has been selected for the Portrait Salon exhibition. Now in it’s fifth year, this annual exhibition will be exhibiting a selection of portraits from photographers that submitted to and were rejected by the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize in 2015.

Visitors to the print exhibition will be able to vote on their favourite three portraits. Please come and help me win :)

The private view takes place on Thursday, 19th November 2014 from 6.00pm – 9.00pm.
The gallery opening times are 11.00qm – 6.00pm
Venue: EMBASSY TEA GALLERY

, 195-205 Union Street, 
Bankside, London SE1 0LN


On Saturday 21st November 2015 Portrait Salon will be collaborating with Miniclick for a ‘The Heart Grows Fonder’ event at The Embassy Tea Gallery that will include all the portraits selected in this year’s Portrait Salon. Participants will have the chance to create their own, unique Portrait Salon ‘zine’.

In February 2016 the Portrait Salon selection will travel to The Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery in Tokyo. Will report in time…

‘Maagni Fi’, Artist in Residence at Waaw from 2014-15, 13.10 – 02.11.2015

"Maangi fii" means "I am here" in Wolof, the local language in Senegal. Well, I am not, but some of my artwork still is. So, as I am proud to have been part of the artist residency community at Waaw in Saint Louis, I am happy to announce that there will be a retrospective of previous artist and my work will be included.

The picture on the right is a pattern, which is part of a paper carpet with the title 'Made in Senegal'. It shows the hands of a local woman whilst producing Thiakry, a millet based breakfast cereal.  The motive echos the bold and colourful fabrics seen all over Africa, whereas the paper carpet itself is 'covering' for various types of foods that are produced in Saint Louis.

Venue: Galérie Éthiopiques, rue Khalifa Ababacar Sy x Potin, Saint Louis, Senegal


Opening times: 11am – 1pm & 7pm – 7pm

Other artwork on display has been created by Carl Fredrik Koltermann, Maya Portner and Tobias Richardson. With this exhibition Waaw is going to open its doors again for a new season of international artist.

‘London Independent Photography’s 27th Annual Exhibition’: 20.10 - 01.11.15

Once again, LIP is celebrating outstanding photography of their members in a gallery in South London, not far from the Tate Modern. The annual exhibition aims to provide a platform for members to exhibit their best work, to be viewed by each other and by the general public.

This time I am going to join the show with 4 images from my ‘Playing Card’ series, a project which is playfully observing our daily routine on mobile devices.
The series was voted to be amongst the best photo projects of the year 2015 and exhibited at the KOLGA AWARD exhibition in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Venue: EMBASSY TEA GALLERY

195-205 Union Street, 
Bankside, London SE1 0LN

Opening times: Monday – Saturday: 11am – 7pm
Sunday: 11am - 6pm

The member's private view takes place on 20th October 2015, from 6.00pm - 9.00pm

'Hà Nội CAPITAL City' Photo Book: Award for 'Best Work' 2015

It is my great pleasure to announce that on 23 Sep. 2015 the photo book I have been working on in 2014 has been honored with the "Bùi Xuân Phái 2015 - Love for Hanoi" Award.

Since 2008 the newspaper 'Sports & Culture' of Vietnam News Agency together with the descendants of the painter Bùi Xuân Phái awards this prestigious prize to projects, which are dedicated to increase awareness of the beauty of Hanoi.

The editor Dr. Michael Waibel is the first German to receive this prestigious award. I am proud to have been part of it.

'fLIP Magazine' no 31, Summer Issue 2015

fLIP is an independent magazine, which is published three times per year by the London Independent Photographers (LIP).  The current issue, no 31, which carries the title 'Neighbourhood', is featuring three images from my series

'Made in Senegal

'. The images were created in St. Louis, the former capital city of Senegal, during a four week residency.

The portrait series shows people who make a making a living from small scale food production businesses or livestock keeping.  I would like to acknowledge the people who are directly involved in local food production and highlight their importance for  their communities. The project was started in Vietnam in 2013 and will be continued in Latin America in 2016.


fLIP

magazine is the official voice of LIP, which has over 600 members and it aims to support, inspire and inform its readers by featuring members' photographic work with articles that are engaging and entertaining. It 
is available at various stockists across London, including the Tate Modern Bookshop, National Portrait, Serpentine Gallery Bookshop, Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop and many more.

'London Independent Photographers' 8th Greenwich Annual Exhibition, 03.08 - 16.08.15

As every year, the members of the Greenwich group of LIP are showcasing their work at Greenwich Gallery. This year I have chosen to exhibit another image from my work in Vietnam, which was created during a 2month residency in 2013. The image is depicting ‘Tran Thi Ngoc Hoa’, selling lekima (egg fruit) and water apples from her garden. More images from the series 'Made in Vietnam'.

The private view takes place on Saturday, 3th August 2014 from 6.30pm - 8.30pm.
Venue: The Greenwich Gallery at 
Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS
 


Opening times: Mo - Fri, 9am - 5.30pm & Sat - Sun, 1pm - 5pm

The series ‘Farmers' has been created in honour of micro food production households and features people who are physically involved in growing or producing food from their homes and gardens. We often forget how labour intensive it is to produce what we eat. Especially in the Western world the connection between food and nature seems to get lost. The aim of the project is to re-establish a relationship with the origin of food provisions.

‘Da Nang: GREEN City’, 3rd book commission in Vietnam, 21.07 – 30.08.15

Another photo book - the last one from a series of three - is in the planning. Soon I will be heading to Vietnam again, this time to the centre of the country.

The focus will be on Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue as the 3 major coastal towns. Like in the previous books, I will explore how people use their personal space, either at work or in their homes.

The book is partly supported by 'Goethe Institute Hanoi' and is going to be published by the beginning of 2016. Watch this space for further announcements...

'Hairdresses' at Galerie Sali E Tabacchi, 08.05 - 05.06.15

The series ‘Hairdressers’ is ready to go on the wall in  Saarbrücken, Germany.

With generous support by photographer Jörg Karrenbauer, ARTgenosse Albert Herbig and Hahnemühle FineArt paper, my 12 guys in curlers will enjoy a comeback at Sali e Tabacchi in May 2015.


Venue address: Galerie Sali E Tabacchi, Feldmannstrasse 144, 66119 Saarbrücken, Germany
Opening Times: Mo, Wed & Fri: 4.00pm – 6.00pm

Private View: Friday, 08.05.15, from 7.00pm



The series ‘Hairdressers’ is inspired by the novel Egalia's Daughters in which the protagonists swapped gender based roles. One particular scene stuck to my mind: men were sitting at a beauty salon, with curlers in their hair and beards. Or waxing of their chest hair, having face masks and so forth. I began to explore: how do men feel and act when being confronted with characteristic female beauty treatment?

The project exists in collaboration with hair & make-up artist Konnie Daniel, who created wonderful effects with her fabulous collection of vintage curlers. For a preview click here.

‘Playing Cards’, KOLGA Award nomination, 01.05.15

Proud announcement: 
my 'Playing Cards' series was voted to be amongst the best photo projects of the year 2015!!!


Eight images (from a deck of 13) were chosen by international jury members for the KOLGA AWARD in the category 'Conceptual Photo Project'.


And if this in not enough, another one of my images was nominated for the category 'One Shot'. The picture was taken during my artist residency at Waaw in Saint Louis, Senegal.

The chosen images will be exhibited from 1st May at the KOLGA AWARD exhibition, which takes place in Tbilisi, Georgia.

There will also be an overall winner for each category. Please keep your fingers crossed for me :)))

‘Sunken Garden’, Costume Design for a 3D Film / Opera, 15.03 - 20.03.15

 

Proud announcement for the third round: the occult mystery film-opera 'Sunken Garden’ by Dutch composer Michel van der Aa and best-selling author David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) is having a come back at the Opera de Lyon. I was designing the costumes for both, the film as well as for the stage performance - the production took place from 2012 – 2013.

The event is a combination between life performance, 2D documentary style film inserts and a 3D film backdrop throughout the 2nd half of the opera. It was co-commissioned by the English National Opera, the Barbican Centre in London, the Toronto Luminato Festival, the Holland Festival and the Opera de Lyon.

Pictures from the world premiere in London (2013) as well as stills from the film inserts can be seen at this link: http://www.astridschulz.com/sunken-garden/

Part 2: 'Farmers (from: Made in Vietnam)' at the Vietnamese Caphe House, 01.03 - 30.06.15

As previously announced, some of the wonderful people I photographed in Vietnam will still be on display in a London based Vietnamese coffee shop.



I have chosen seven new images for March and April, afterwards they will be swapped for another selection of portraits. The series 'Farmers' were part of a larger body of work, which I created during my artist residency in 2013. After being exhibited in Hue and Hanoi, the images were shipped to London and since waiting to see the light of day again.

In order to celebrate, please join me on Saturday, 7 March at 3.00 for an informal ‘caphe’ meeting. 



Venue: Caphe House at 114 Bermondsey Street, Bermondsey, London SE1 3TX 


Opening times: 
Mon - Fri: 8am – 5.00pm

 / Sat: 9am – 5.00pm / Sun: closed


About the images: the project has been created in honour of micro food production households and features people who are physically involved in growing or producing food from their homes and gardens. We often forget how labour intensive it is to produce what we eat. Especially in the Western world the connection between food and nature seems to get lost. Therefore I visited small-scale farmers and family run production businesses and took portraits of people with their products in order to re-establish a relationship with the origin of food provisions.

'Hà Nội CAPITAL City', Book Publishing Event, 06.03 2015

Proud announcement: my recent Vietnam commission for the second photo book, this time about the city Hanoi, is finally printed and will be available from March.



For this book I photographed between 30-40 individual people and families at their homes and asked them about their relationship to Hanoi. The outcome is forming one chapter in this book, which otherwise documents the developments of Vietnam's capital City, full of ancient traditions and culture. You can see a selection of 'People of Hanoi' on my web site. 



In case you are in Vietnam, the launch event will take place in Hanoi on 6 March at 6pm
Venue: Goethe Institute Hanoi, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Hanoi, Vietnam). Click here for information.



However, the photo book can also be ordered at Amazon; it is published at 'Fine Art Publishing House', Hanoi, Vietnam, by editor Michael Waibel. The ISBN No is 978-604-78-1965-2