Friedhof, 2024 (ongoing)

Friedhof / Cemetery

Cemetery is a long-term photographic project that explores visual practices of remembrance as they appear on gravestones. The starting point was a small village cemetery in the Italian Alps, where numerous graves were adorned with personal portraits—photographs that not only show the faces of the deceased, but also offer glimpses into their lives, personalities, and passions. In contrast to the often sober, anonymous grave design typical of Central Europe, this place felt like a quiet gallery, where life remains visible beyond death.

The project investigates the tradition of gravestone portraiture, which is deeply embedded in the cemetery cultures of countries like Italy, Spain, France, or Poland, yet remains relatively rare in Germany. These photographs are expressions of lived remembrance. They preserve identity, tell stories, and raise questions about visibility, afterlife, and individual representation.

Cemetery approaches these images as part of an artistic inquiry: Who selects the photograph? What does this choice mean to the family left behind—or to the person who may have chosen it during their lifetime? How do we wish to be seen after we’re gone, and what do these decisions reveal about our relationship to memory?

Portraits have been collected so far from cemeteries in Germany, Italy, and France, and the project continues to grow. All photographs are made with the utmost respect for the deceased and their families. The images are used exclusively within an artistic context. Reverence, dignity, and sensitivity are central to this work.

Cemetery not only documents a cultural practice, but also opens a space to reflect on remembrance, mortality, and visual presence—quietly, intimately, and with care.