Jessica Backhaus

Jessica Backhaus (b. 1970) examines, with her latest photographic series "Six degrees of freedom", universal questions of human existence. Based on her own life story she inquires after the sig- nificance of knowing the roots of one’s own existence and to what extent it is possible to re-elaborate these – usually prescribed – roots.
Initially unconsciously, then ever more purposefully the photographer, who grew up in a family of artists, at some point in her life set off in search of her own background. On this journey she visits places of her childhood and youth and fills the gaps in her memories.
With her photographs she symbolically captures the essence of this search and of her life stages. Simultaneously, she pulls off the balancing act of keeping the images open for the beholder. Her photographs possess metaphoric potential and work against the grain of a classic social documentary photography. They alternate between realism and abstraction.

Jessica Backhaus is regarded as one of the most important representatives of contemporary photography in Germany. Her works are internationally exhibited, published and are found in major collections. "Six degrees of freedom" is her sixth photobook at Kehrer Verlag and deals with the great universal themes of background, yearning, identity, and destiny.