Here, we find safety. (Working title)
Ongoing
(More information to follow soon..)
Fragile as Glass
2022-2025
From the beginning on, as Russia was preparing to invade
Ukraine, people from marginalized groups were particularly
concerned. For the LGBTQ-community, the reason is the
homophobic and transphobic social climate that prevails
in the Russian Federation for many years. LGBTQ people
are persecuted by the state and the queer community is
classified as extremist. At the beginning of the full scale
invasion, there were rumors about a so-called “execution
list”, that allegedly also lists representatives of the LGBTIQ
community. This is according to US authorities and could
not be verified independently. But now, three years later, we
know that in the Russian-occupied territories, queer people
experience imprisonment, torture and sexualized violence.
Despite all the challenges and difficulties, the Ukrainian
LGBTIQ community continues to stand up for their rights.
From small moments of happiness on birthdays, to close
moments with their partners. From the front lines in Donbas,
where a gay medic tries to save soldiers’ lives to the horror-
fight for Mariupol. As volunteers or human rights activists.
Queer people belong and contribute to Ukrainian society -
even though some do not want to accept them.
The result is a multi-layered coverage of the topic that
centers around the photo book “Fragile as Glass” which
was published by Verlag Kettler in April 2024. The book
tells the personal stories of five queer people by combining
documentary and portrait photography and interviews.
It also features the text “Beyond Pain” by journalist Yana
Radchenko, who had to flee her own hometown to escape
the Russian troops. Later we reported for Amnesty Journals
and fluter.de on war-crimes targeting LGBTQ-people.
The photo essay was awarded with the Residence Prize
at the Portraits Hellerau Photography Award. The photo
series was exhibited at the „Helsinki Photofestival“ in 2023.
Furthermore, the essay was honored at the LensCulture
Emerging Talents Award and was exhibited as part of the
winning exhibition in New York (2024). In 2025, it was exhibited at the Belfast Photo Festival and as part of Rencontres d'Arles.
Climate Crisis and War: When water becomes a weapon
An often forgotten region that is currently characterised by many crises: the north-east of Syria. Global warming is hitting the region harder than almost any other - at the same time, Turkey is restricting the flow of the Euphrates, the country's lifeline. Aside from that people in the region are still coming to terms with the horrors of the rule of the so-called Islamic State. But Turkey is not only cutting back the water supply, but also regularly bombing the region.
Text & research: Bartholomäus Laffert
Research assistance & translation: Shaveen Mohammad
Transport & security: Shalaan Albello
Travel and research funded through „Global Health Security Call 2023“ by European Journalism Center“
Singular images have been published by Amnesty Journal, Greenpeace Magazin, TAZ, WOZ, and Zeit Online.
The people behind the border
Long-term documentary project.
Far from the public gaze, Bihać, a small town in north-western Bosnia-Herzegovina, has become a focal point of migration to Europe. Since February 2021 approximately 300 to 400 young refugees live in several abandoned buildings across Bihać, stranded during the attempt to cross into the European Union. People search for alternatives to official camps that are overcrowded, in horrendous conditions and set up in remote areas.
In 2021 the two biggest self-organized shelters in Bihać are an old paper factory and an unfinished retirement home, called „Dom Penzionera“. The shells are in a very bad condition with no windows, electricity or running water. Heating and cooking is only possible with open fire. The inhabitants are mostly left on their own, as aid work is criminalized, with just a few inhabitants of Bihać and international activists secretly supporting them. Most of the young men that live here have tried to reach Croatia numerous times. Often they are stopped by the Croatian authorities and violently deported back to Bosnia. Some even report, having gone to “the game”, as they call the attempt to cross the border, up to thirteen times. Very little is known about the people forced to live behind the border, their fears, what they experienced and what they wish for.
Therefore, the concept of the project is, to let the people who are affected, participate in the representation of the situation. Handwritten letters are juxtaposed with portraits in front of a neutral background, so the poor conditions they live in do not distract from their faces and words. This is an attempt to counteract the dehumanization they are exposed to every day. The people were given as much time as they wanted to decide what and how much they wished to share. The surrounding images additionally show the reality of their everyday life.
