ENTRY DESCRIPTION
In sex work, there is the important distinction of whether it is voluntary or involuntary - my project #RespectSexwork is exclusively about self-determined/voluntary sex work. Without exception, everyone I have had contact with would like to see the profession destigmatised and I hope to be able to contribute to this with my project.

I have met the most diverse concepts of life and love, people of all gender identities and ages. Interesting people with exciting careers, but also less exotic than the common cliché - perhaps like the clients: a social average. In other words, quite normal people. It was a lengthy process from the first contact to email correspondence and phone calls to appointments. When the time came, I was met with a lot of openness and trust.

After I had made my first photos and conducted interviews, I realised that I was moving too much on the surface with portraits and interviews alone and that I was not doing justice to the topic. Since the result of many of my interviews was, among other things, that the encounters between sex workers and their clients are not only about sex, but above all about closeness, security, letting oneself go and not having to perform, I am trying to get permission to take also photos during these encounters in order to show what can happen there emotionally.

With time, I was particularly fascinated by the attitude towards sex work as an act of empowerment in a patriarchal society. I just finished my project and paid special attention to this aspect in my work.

AUTHOR
1965 Born in Munich, Germany

1989-1993 Studied graphic design, focus photography at Institute of Graphic Design U5 in Munich, Germany

1991-1992 Worked as assistant of Herlinde Koelbl, photographer in Munich, Germany

1993-1995 Photo editor at Centre George Pompidou, Fondation L’Arche de la Fraternitée, Studio Fracois Mutterer in Paris, France

1995-1999 Photo editor at Kochan & Partner, ELLE in Munich, Germany; free-lance projects as photo editor

1999-2003 Studied photography and video-design at the University of Applied Science in Bielefeld, Germany

2003-2009 Parental leave

Since 2009 Free-lance work as photographer

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