Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Braubachstraße 30-32, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
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Talk
JESSICA BACKHAUS & SOPHIE-CHARLOTTE OPITZ
SOPHIE-CHARLOTTE OPITZ
Friday, April 17, 2025, 6 pm
Location: Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Admission
5 EUR, reduced 3 EUR, for members of the FFF and students with valid ID card admission is free.
Jessica Backhausl, © Ilaria Turba
Prof. Dr. Sophie-Charlotte Opitz, © Niklas Wulff
Language: German
Duration: About 1 hour
On the occasion of her solo exhibition “Shadows might Dance” (on view until April 26, 2026 at the FFF), Jessica Backhaus will be in conversation with Professor of Media Studies and independent curator Prof. Dr. Sophie-Charlotte Opitz about Backhaus’ work, her artistic trajectory, and future projects.
The discussion will focus on Backhaus’ artistic approach, situated between intuition and chance, the individual and the universal, as well as the fleeting and the static. Photography itself will be examined, with particular attention to the extent to which the medium’s inherent gaps and absences can be understood as an opportunity for artistic practice.
The conversation will address both Backhaus’ trilogy and her earlier works, exploring what has shaped her artistic development, the role of colour and memory in her practice, and the directions her work may take in the future.
The conversation will be held in German.
Sunrise, 2022, aus der Serie/from the series »The Nature of Things« ; Timeless, 2012, aus der Serie/from the series »Once, Still and Forever«; Untitled 8, 2023, aus der Serie/from the series »Plein Soleil« ; © Jessica Backhaus, 2026, courtesy of Robert Morat Galerie
The photography of Jessica Backhaus (*1970, D/USA) is based in the tradition of documentary photography. Her works are a fascinating interplay between the depiction of reality and enigmatic abstraction. Backhaus grew up in an artistic family. At the age of sixteen she moved to Paris, where she later studied photography and visual communication. Here she met Gisèle Freund in 1992, who became her mentor.
From 1995 to 2009, she lived in New York, where she worked as an assistant to various photographers and pursued her own projects.
Now based in Berlin, Jessica Backhaus is considered one of the most distinguished voices of contemporary photography in Germany. Her work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions. She has published many outstanding monographs, including Jesus and the Cherries (2005), What Still Remains (2008), One Day in November (2008), Once, Still and Forever (2012), Six Degrees of Freedom(2015), A TRILOGY (2017), Cut Outs (2021), Plein Soleil (2024), and Indications of the Sea (2024). Her photographs are held in national and international museum and private collections, including the Art Collection Deutsche Börse; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA.
She is represented by Robert Morat Galerie, Berlin; Galerie Anja Knoess, Cologne; Petra Becker/ International Art Bridge, Meggen; Carlos Carvalho Arte Contemporanea, Lisbon; MiCamera, Milan; Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia; Robert Klein Gallery, Boston and Wouter van Leeuwen Gallery, Amsterdam.
Sophie-Charlotte Opitz (*1987, D) is a curator and Professor of Media Studies at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts. After completing her studies in philosophy and art education and earning a PhD on war and conflict photography, she received several research and curatorial fellowships, including from the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation and Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. She publishes regularly in academic journals, art books, and daily newspapers, with a particular focus on media cultures of memory, visual strategies of protest, and the politics of images.
FOTOGRAFIE FORUM FRANKFURT
The Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (FFF) is one of the leading centres of photography in Europe. As an exhibition space, institution and event forum the FFF deals with all types and aspects of photography. Since its founding in 1984 it has presented more than 300 exhibitions with historic and contemporary artists. Additionally, the programme of the FFF comprises of regular workshops, talks and discussions with internationally renowned photographers, artists and experts.
