Project: 'My Paralelle Universe'

Looking back - it’s only been a year and a half. So much has changed, so it seems. Was this for real? What happened?

Reflecting - reality seems to be a matter of perception. Contemplating that we live NOW, not in the past and not yet in the future, let’s explore a different concept of TIME. What if time is not linear, what if time is instead cyclical – and (or) made of at least two parallel ‘lines’ of time? As if the future as well as the past is available to us, and everything is happening at once. Is this possible?

The project ‘My Parallel Universe’ is playing with perception, too. I found all those old travel cards in my shelve among old tax papers and paired them up with events and observations as they were unfolding. Whilst physical travelling is currently obscured, time travelling in our mind is endless. Come on a personal journey with me!

LDVA Gallery: ‘make something that makes you feel good’

It’s not over yet, still drinking tea - and with me the LDVA Gallery. 6 artists came up with some real McCoy - we’ll put on a show for you to enjoy. Due to that virus we will be online - it’s free to join, just get your own wine!

LDVA Gallery (#luvagallery) is currently creating an online environment as social as possible, so if you’re feeling in need of some interaction, this will be the perfect opportunity.
During the first lockdown, LDVA asked artists to send them something that makes them feel good! Two lockdowns down the line, 6 artists have been chosen to exhibit their feel good experience. So, take a note in your diary for 25th February, 6-9pm, and you can enjoy much-needed positivity.

Don’t miss out on a ticket for the ‘make something that makes you feel good’ PV, Thursday evening, 25th February, from 18.00 – 21.00

UPDATE: the exhibition can be visited at this link: makesomethingthatmakesyoufeelgood

European Photography Magazine: 'Corona Issue'

Over the course of the hot summer my desire for tea has gone a bit cold, but in October I received some boiling hot news. As we are all connected, with or without the pandemic, my well documented tea-drinking experience (‘Subject To Availability’) has found quite a fellowship in other parts of the world. Just published in Berlin, ‘Subject To Availability’ is featured in a respectable art magazine called European Photography. The magazine features thirteen selected international artists, responding to the pandemic – my teabags included.

European Photography is an independent art magazine for international contemporary photography. Ask for double issue No 107/108 (24 x 30 cm, 112 pages, texts in English & German, ISBN: 9-770172702002). As museums, galleries and art shops are still closed, it be bought online via the Equivalence Shop in Germany.

LIP Chronicles: 'Life under Lockdown'

Countdown has begun - this years annual LIP exhibition will be entirely different - but we won’t stop! London Independent Photographers are showcasing their membership’s response during lockdown regardless!

The inclusive Online Exhibition opens 1 November 2020.
For members, the Private View is on Tuesday 3 November @ 7.00pm.
Every Friday evening @ 7.00pm during the month of November there are Online Artist Talks.

In co-operation with the Newspaper Club, there will also be a publication LIP Chronicles: Life Under Lockdown.

LIP-Chronicles Galleries can be entered here. On Instagram please go to @lipchronicles for daily postings: programme schedule, exhibited images and more.

And don’t forget to look at my contribution to this show, which was taken from the series ‘Under Further Notice’

FIX Photo Festival / ‘FIX Still Life’ 2020

Proud announcement: teabags in lockdown unlocked!!!

Not only was my project ‘Subject to Availability’ picked to be featured at the FIX Photo Festival, it was also nominated by jury juror Yvonne De Rosa as her personal ‘Judge’s Choice’.

With the Covid19 pandemic changing the world as we know it, you and me are invited to re-assess how to live, work and play. So, how do artist deal with such challenging time creatively?

Gallerist Laura Noble invited photographers of all genres to submit works that were created during lockdown for her annual FIX Photo Festival. The theme for this year is ‘FIX Still Life’ and it was open to the entrants interpretation. With 184 works selected, the result is diverse and delightful.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions the show is online from 10 October - 31 December 2020

Please visit https://www.lauraannnoble.com/fixphotofestivalawards, my project can be seen on Gallery 3. Also, please check the images on instagram ( @fixphotofestival ) There will be IGTV interviews with the 3 winners; dates will be announced very soon!

Artist Support Pledge: Print Sale

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have found themselves without work, sales and exhibition opportunities, teaching, technical support etc. In the attempt to help alleviating some of these issues, fellow artist Matthew Burrows has instigated the ARTIST SUPPORT PLEDGE.

The concept is simple. Artists post images of their work on Instagram, which they are willing to sell for no more than £200 each (not including shipping). Anyone can buy the work. Every time an artist reaches £1000 of sales, they pledge to spend £200 on another artist/s work. Please check #artistsupportpledge for details.

Going through my archive, I discovered plenty of exhibition prints, unframed and available as one offs or limited editions (including the one above form the award winning series ‘100 Faces of Viet Nam’).
Paper dimension: 373mm x 540mm / image dimension: 330mm x 500mm
Size: Archival C-Type print, matt finish
Price: £200 plus postage, payable via Paypal

UK: posted at £4.90 (sent via Royal Mail)
Europe: £6.90 / USA: £ 11.90 / Elsewhere: Please send an inquiry before sending any payment, will work it out.

If interested, please check available stock (www.astridschulz.com/artist-support-pledge) and send a request.

Covid -19: 'Frisky is Risky'

I have a new companion, he is omnipresent. And yet, I am not even sure if he is where I am, or how many times he was within my range. He is so small, in fact he is super tiny. I cannot see him, nor can I evaluate how to avoid his powerful grip.

Corona is his name. Nobody wants him, but HE finds his way in. He turned up out of nowhere and avalanched the planet into lockdown. Countless households in isolation. He made us change our human ties. Separation from one and all - including those we love, unless we are locked in together. So, what about being single? What about those who have to learn to be their own best friend?

The flat is my oyster. Week one, week two, week three, cabin fever from week four. Zoom meetings, House Parties, WhatsApp calls, a new way of being. Underneath all, I have to admit: “I’m lonely and bored - what a dangerous combination.”

Want to find out what what I did at Easter during lockdown? Don’t be afraid, just click that link.

Corona Diary: Frisky is Risky

Covid-19: 'Subject To Availability'

The official lockdown period in London started on 23rd of March, a little later than elsewhere in Europe. Nonetheless, first signs of public life’s shutdown already appeared one week earlier. There was a lot of reluctance at first. ‘Keep Calm & Drink Tea’, as they say over here in the UK, despite ‘fears of Corona’.

As I was stopped from going out, I learned to live with what surrounds me. No more coffee shops? Fine, I’ll brew my own. Known to be a tea drinker, I refuse to be threatened by the consequences of home isolation. I’ll intend to raise my own morale by celebrating each cuppa: “Cheers to Corona!”

Since then I consumed more teabags than I can document. I am counting the days, too, and the weeks, and my emotions. Each week seemingly differs, each day comes and goes, each drink calms; by now I need to stock up! ‘Here’s to Corona!’

Link to 15 weeks of tea. The project closed on 4th July due to ease of lockdown restrictions. Time for ice cream now…

Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year

Proud announcement: the image ‘Mbaye’ has been shortlisted for the annual Pink Lady® Food Photographer competition. It was selected for the ‘Food for Sale’ category.

Unfortunately, due to the Corona virus outbreak, the exhibition, which would have opened on 28th April, has been canceled. Instead there will be an Online Awards Evening, presented by Alex James, which you can watch on Facebook or YouTube. It starts at 8pm (BST).

Info about the image: Mbaye Babacar Cissé is employed in the small rice mill in the Village de N’Diaye. Although he started working here only 4 month ago, he has already been promoted from being an ordinary worker to becoming the supervisor of the machine. Even though he is physically separated from his wife and young child, he loves his new occupation and wishes to make enough money to support his family back home (Senegal 2015).

Covid-19: 'Until Further Notice'

London, March 2020: Already alarmed but still within my old set of shopping routines, I took notice of some coffee shops in my neighborhood closing their doors. First just a few, than finally all of them, and the restaurants, pubs and bars, cinemas and theatres. Bewildered and yet fascinated I feared this temporary measure to be marking the end of the world as we know it. 

Big chains, small social enterprises, long established businesses, young and trendy meeting points: all gone. I gazed through their shop front windows. Each seat is ‘standing’ for a person, no longer sitting there. Each table marks a social network, forced into abandonment. No happy hour, no special deal today, tomorrow, or even the week after.

My occasional shopping trips no longer followed any routine; I planned a different tour each time in order to visit a new and further located supermarket. Equipped with shopping bag and camera I penetrated through the glass barriers, hunting for chairs whilst longing for socialising. Now we are half way through April. Still hungry for a smiling face and comforting time out, I am wondering: what is going to happen to society?

We shall wait for the impact - whilst holding on to sanity from home.

Please take a look at the situation: www.astridschulz.com/until-further-notice/

Pop-Up show in Greenwich: 19.12.19 until the NEW YEAR

Initiated by the London Independent Photographers (LIP), there will be a surprise exhibition the horizon. This spontaneous pop-up show is called into existence during our notorious Christmas party. The Greenwich branch members are invited to bring a framed image, taken in recent years and ready to be displayed for fun and entertainment. So, If you happen to be in Greenwich around the Christmas period, please pop in.

LIP Pop-Up show: 19.12.19 - 15.01.20

Venue: The Greenwich Gallery at Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS 

Opening times: Mo - Fri, 9am - 5pm

Rencontres Photographiques / Albert Kahn Museum Paris: 08-09.11.19

With great pleasure I would like to announce that my project ‘100 Faces of Viet Nam’ has been selected for the portfolio reviews in Boulogne-Billancourt.

This annual photographic event is organised by the Friends of the Albert-Kahn Museum during the most important week of photography in Paris. Selected photographers are receiving the opportunity for an individual appointment with photography experts such as festival directors, photo editors, iconographers, foundations, journalists, galleries, art critics, collectors, curators, art centres, etc.

My personal aims for this promising event include international visibility for this body of work, getting new opportunities such as an exhibition or participation at a festival and gathering professional advice for the publication of a photo book. Exciting times ahead!

Shortlisted for the Royal Photography Society / IPE 162

The RPS has announced the names of 166 International Photographers, which are shortlisted for their 162th International Photography Exhibition. With joy and gratitude I would like to announce that images from the series ‘100 Faces of Vietnam’ are among those successful entries.  

1370 photographers from 62 countries have participated in this competition. Being selected is a wonderful achievement and encourages me to carry on, telling stories through my lens and reflecting the concerns of the modern world.

The IPE 162 is a touring exhibition and opens at RPS House, Bristol, in 2020. The finalists are going to be announced this coming November. Please keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Exhibition's History:

The International Photography Exhibition (formerly the International Print Exhibition) has been held almost every year since 1854 - the year after The RPS was founded. It is the world's longest running photographic exhibition. In the early years, the IPE included work from some of the world's most eminent photographers, including Julia Margaret Cameron, Roger Fenton, Edward Steichen and others. 

Special thanks to theprintspace for their continued support of the IPE and for printing the images for the final selection round.

'London Independent Photography' 12th Greenwich Annual, 17 - 30.06.19

For the 12th time, members of the London Independent Photographers (LIP) Greenwich Satellite group is showcasing examples of their work at the Greenwich Gallery.

For this exhibition I choose two images form an exciting project I created in 2017-18. The series ‘Blindspots’ was shot during a personal development course: the work explores the decisions and opinions we created as children during painful incidents. Later in life and hidden from our view, we are still ruled by self-limiting believes such as: 'I’m stupid, I can't do it' or 'I’m alone, I don’t belong'. The photo session was aiming to shine light into our blind spots; the process of being photographed created space for self-reflection.

Feel free to explore your own blindspots by joining me in the gallery during the opening event. Refreshments will be served.

Private View: Thursday, 20th June, 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Venue: The Greenwich Gallery at Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS 

Opening times: Mo - Fri, 9am - 5pm / Sat - Sun, 12pm - 4pm

There will also be a special critics evening: Thursday, 27th June, 6.30 - 8.30pm

Journey to Bolivia 2019 →

Are you wondering - what am I doing in Bolivia?

Well, first of all, I have Family here. I found out in 2014 via social media, that I have a lovely Canadian cousin who has lived in Bolivia for over 40 years. He and his wife tracked me down in London, we met for the first time for dinner, and the couple invited me warmly to come for a visit. It took me 5 years, almost to the date, but now I went.
Besides getting to know this new exciting branch of my family, I also dedicated this journey to photographing another chapter for my food series: ‘Made in Bolivia’. Mainly photographed in La Paz where I stayed most of the time, but also in Potosi and in the tropical town Caranavi. And yes, I tried all of the dishes I took pictures of! in case you want to know what peole eat over here, just ask.

Read the full report on my JOURNEY TO BOLIVIA here.

'London Independent Photography' 11th Greenwich Annual Exhibition, 03 - 17.06.1 →

As every year, members of the London Independent Photography Greenwich group are showcasing some of their work at the Greenwich Gallery.

I am going to present two images from the 'Holi' series, which was taken over 3 different years at the Hare Krishna Temple near Watford. The festival is traditionally celebrated in India at Spring (also known as the festival of Colours). Fascinated by the joyful transformation after festival goes throw colour pigments at one another, I decided to create a pop up studio and invited the temple visitors to have a portrait taken. Have a look at 'Holi' on my website.

Private View: Thursday, 07th June, 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Venue: The Greenwich Gallery at Linear House, Peyton Place, London SE10 8RS 

Opening times: Mo - Fri, 9am - 5pm / Sat - Sun, 12pm - 4pm

There will also be a special critics evening: Thursday, 14th June, 6.30 - 8.30pm

'fLIP Magazine No39', Spring Issue 2018

A new fLIP magazine is on the horizon. This year’s Spring issue carries the title 'Memories' and it includes images from my portrait series with the same title.

‘Memories’ is inspired by a quote in a movie by David Lynch ('The Straight Story'): "The worst thing of being old is remembering being young."  It started as a personal project in 2016 with an image of Daphne Davis, which has been nominated and exhibited numerous times in 2017 (including at the ‘BJP Portrait of Britain’ exhibition). The image above is of Nick Hague, taken whilst remembering his baby granddaughter as she was bathed in the kitchen sink.

fLIP is an independent magazine, which is published three times per year by the London Independent Photographers (LIP). It is available at specialized stores across London, including the Tate Modern Bookshop, National Portrait, Serpentine Gallery Bookshop, Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop and many more.

‘Blind Spots’, KOLGA Award Nomination & Photo Festival, 04.05.18

Great news: my latest portrait project with the title 'Blind Spots' has been nominated to be among the best photo projects created in 2017 and is shortlisted for the KOLGA AWARD 2018 in the conceptual photography category!!! Twelve images from this series will be on display during the KOLGA TBILISI PHOTO Festival from 5th - 11th May.

Kolga Tbilisi Photo 2018 is exceptional for the number of powerful photography projects covering a wide range of topics and taken by photographers from around the world.

Venue for the award exhibition: Art Arena, Dodo Abashidze Street 10, Tbilisi, Georgia
Opening event: Friday, 4th May 2017 from 8pm

About 'Blind Spots':
For this project the sitters are guided back into childhood memories and then photographed whilst remembering a challenging situation. In such moments children create negative opinions about themselves and the world such as 'I am worthless', life is unfair' or 'nobody loves me'. Later in life we are often unaware of the origin of such self-limiting believes; yet we hold on to them and carry them as a lifelong burden. All of us have certain blind spots, areas of endeavor or personal issues that we ignore because of the painful doubts or feelings of futility that they arouse.
The final result is aiming to shine light into our hidden viewpoints; the process of photographing the upcoming emotions created space for self-reflection.

'People of the City', Photo Exhibition, 13.02.18

Proud announcement: with support of the Meta House, a German-Cambodian cultural centre, and the Goethe Institute we are going to re-exhibit a selection of my images of people, living in the capital city of Cambodia.

In case you are in Phnom Penh, please come to the opening on 16th March 2018, 6pm - 10pm
Venue: Meta House, 37 Samdach Sothearos Blvd (3), Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The photos in this show are taken for chapter 4 in Dr. Michael Waibel’s latest photo book ‘Phnom Penh: CAPITAL CITY’. In this chapter, a variety of residents have been asked to comment on their impressions and relationships to the city they call home. I wanted to take a closer look behind the facade and explore how people use their personal space. The outcome is a collection of enticing insights into homes and workplaces spanning rich and poor, younger and older generations, migrants and those who have lived there all their lives and helped shaping the city. In case you are not in Cambodia, here is an image preview.

The book 'Phnom Penh CAPITAL CITY' is available on Amazon (ISBN: 9-789924 915102)