Normality prevails in Damme, isolated snapshots of a landscape of asphalt, concrete and brick refer to anonymity and wasteland; Monocultures of corn fields and wind turbines characterize the landscape. In the large rural area, it is not the Späti or the kiosk that provides alcohol, but the beverage market. The focus is on young people, privileged in their state between daydreaming and expectation of the future. The recordings tell of the departure, sometimes from close up, sometimes from a distance, looking back and reflecting stages in life.

Oldenburger Kunstverein, Oldenburg, DE
07 Feb 2020 - 19 Apr 2020

AMERICAN CORN BELT

After focusing on corn in DAMME and CORNFELD, both shot in Lower-Saxony, Germany, an area of endless cornfields, the project continues with the exploration of the Corn Belt in North America where corn has been the predominant crop since the 1850s.

The landscape portrayed in Damme has become a cliché for the destruction of our natural environment by industrial food production for animals. Damme has thus become a symbol for the monocultural exploitation of land. This project started as a biographical story and will now be continued in its American dimension.

Where are the world's largest corn fields?
Where and when have these industries started?
What influence does science have on this development?

Abitreff are 4 portraits of former classmates who stayed in Damme itself or around this area. The pictures are a look in the mirror, in which the photographer recognizes herself, her past and her heritage. It is amazing that after 40 years, there is still a solidarity and bonding, simply based on the fact that all were shaped by the same argricultural landscape.