ZEHN is a sensitive photographic approach to childhood. At his own request, Grit Schwerdtfeger portrayed her son Lorenz, then ten years old, almost every day for an entire year. The long-term study in a condensed form does not only provide an insight into the development of a child, but also tells about the relationship between son and mother. It is closeness, but sometimes also distance, which is expressed in Grit Schwerdtfeger’s impressive portraits, while openness for the act of photographing reflects a deeply profound confidence. At an age when the outward appearance is still androgynous, self-conscious moments alternate with juvenile vulnerability. The hands clasped casually in the pockets of the pants or the large fur-hat, serving as protection, stand for the different moods as well as for the development of personal identity. In the portraits, which are not chronologically arranged, the current mood and major changes alike are to be discovered. ZEHN shows how the essence of a person slowly emerges − the approach is personal, the conclusion however much broader.

Grit Schwerdtfeger, *1971 in Anklam, Germany; lives and works in Leipzig and Berlin.