Sibylle Fendt

Deep in the Black Forest, in the Holzbach Valley, lies the refugee shelter H8, where refugees have lived for over twenty years. The Holzbach Valley is not a place; it is only a road, a stream, in the middle of the forest. The men have nothing to do there except wait, sleep, cook, use their mobile phones. If they are fortunate, after a few months they can attend an integration course in the next larger town. If they are unfortunate, they wait in vain. For three years, Sibylle Fendt regularly visited and portrayed the young men there. For three years, she waited with them and let time pass. For three years, she sat with them in their rooms behind closed curtains while the beautiful Black Forest landscape transpired outside. Sibylle Fendt is a member of the Ostkreuz Agency of the Photographers and teaches photography at various universities. Her first photo book Gärtners Reise was first released in 2012; a second edition was published 2019.