ANDREA DIEFENBACH

Language: German

The renowned German documentary photographer Andrea Diefenbach, recipient of the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize from the German Society for Photography (DGPh), will present a selection of her projects in this lecture. Her work sheds light on often overlooked and precarious living conditions in Eastern European countries, such as those in the Republic of Moldova.

After earning her diploma from the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld, Andrea Diefenbach (*1974) focused on her own photographic book and exhibition projects, as well as assignments for national and international organizations and magazines. Her works, distinguished by their empathetic and critical reflection on social issues, have garnered numerous awards and grants.

Her first book, СПИД [spid] AIDS in Odessa (Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2008), documents the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine and was exhibited in Hamburg, Mannheim, and New York, among other cities. For nearly a decade, Diefenbach followed the lives of Moldovan labor migrants in Italy and their families who remained in Moldova. Her travels through the rural regions of Moldova—a country grappling with an identity crisis since gaining independence 30 years ago—resulted in the books Land ohne Eltern (2012, Kehrer Verlag) and Realitatea (2022, Hartmann Books). The latter was included in the 2023 Longlist of the "Most Beautiful German Books" and received a Silver award at the German Photo Book Prize.

Andrea Diefenbach’s works have been exhibited internationally, including at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Museum Folkwang in Essen, and the Munich City Museum. Following her role as Senior Lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (2016–2022), she has been a Professor of Photography at the University of the Arts in Bremen since 2022. In 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Dr. Erich Salomon Prize by the German Society for Photography (DGPh).

Andrea Diefenbach (Website)