For the fourth round of the residencies we were once again able to assemble a great jury, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their work. In this news post we want to introduce them to you.

Heike Beck co-founded the Kultur- und Kunstverein Kemberg e.V. (Kemberg Culture and Art Association) and has been chairwoman of the association since 2020. She studied History and German Language at the Karl Marx University in Leipzig. Since 1985 she has been working at the primary and secondary school Ernestine Reiske in Kemberg and since 1993 she has been deputy headmistress at this school. In 1994, she was elected to the town council of Kemberg and held various positions there until 2019 (chairwoman of the culture committee, deputy mayor, local mayor). Among other projects one main focus of the association is the establishment of the centre for cultural-historical activities ‚Altes Museum / Knabenschule‘ in cooperation with the city of Kemberg and the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology.

Sayuri Ichida, born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1985, is a UK-based artist specialising in photography. Her work explores self-identity, personal memories, and the human form, often incorporating sculptural elements. Ichida’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows in 2022 at PhMuseum Lab, IBASHO Gallery, Unseen Amsterdam, and the InCadaques International Photography Festival. Her book ‘Absentee’ was honoured with the Prix Nadar Prize in 2022 and selected as a finalist for the Lucie Photobook Prize in 2023. She was an artist-in-residence with Light Work in 2023. Her work ‘Ctrl Shift +J’ was shortlisted for the Grand Prix Images Vevey 2023/2024 and The Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship 2023. It was also awarded the Benrido Award as part of the Hariban Award in 2023. After graduating from Tokyo Visual Arts College in 2006, Ichida transitioned from commercial photography to art, completing her MA in Photography Arts at the University of Westminster in 2022. Her artworks are held in the collections of Museum Voorlinden (Netherlands) as well as various private collections.

https://www.sayuriichida.com/
Instagram: Sayuri Ichida

The work of French-born photographer Chrystel Lebas examines the complexities of mankind’s relationship with nature. Through her photographic, sound and moving image works she investigates various landscapes and sites over time, documenting and revealing the various changes brought about therein by the interaction of both human beings and of nature itself. Working often in limited light and utilising the ‘uncertainty of the falling darkness at twilight’, Lebas produces large format, often panoramic and enveloping images of nature at its most remote. Her beautiful and enigmatic works reflecting upon ‘notions of the sublime and our relationship to nature’. Chrystel Lebas lives and works in London. A graduate from the Royal College of Art, her photographs and films have been widely exhibited. Works are held in several private and public collections. She has published three monographs: ‘L’espace temps-Time in Space’ (2003), ‘Between Dog and Wolf’ (2006) and ‘Field Studies: Walking through Landscapes and Archives’ published to accompany the exhibition at Huis Marseille Museum for Photography, Amsterdam (2017) that won the Kraszna Krausz Best Photography Book Award 2018 and Best Dutch book design 2016. Chrystel Lebas was ‘Passage’ Artist-in-Residence artist in 2023.

http://www.chrystellebas.com/
Instagram: chrystel_lebas

Sara Perovic’s photography is driven by her interests in perception of space, abstraction, repetitiveness and feeling of self. Her body of work focuses on textures (Palmeral, 2017), depicts the invisible (Bura, 2015), and shows nature’s fragility with ethereal photos (I was there, 2015). Her latest project (My fathers legs, 2020) is a mix of concept and emotion, stretching the boundries between conceptual art and art-as-therapy. In 2020 her book ‘My Father’s Legs’ was shortlisted for Les Recontres d’Arles Prix du Livre d’Auteur and Aperture/Paris Photo First Book Award. Among several solo and group shows, she founded and curated the fanzine ‘aTree’, promoting young photographers (available at MoMa Library New York). Sara Perovic currently works as a photographer and architect in Berlin. Sara Perovic was ‘Passage’ Artist-in-Residence artist in 2023.

https://saraperovic.com/
Instagram: sara.perovic

Henri Steinmetz is a filmmaker and casting director. Educated at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the mentorship of filmmaker Michael Haneke, as well as at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle/Saale. Henri Steinmetz’s debut film ‘We Are Fine’ premiered at the Zurich Film Festival, featuring Franz Rogowski alongside Maresi Riegner and Jonas Dassler, who both made their screen debut in this film. Steinmetz’s expertise extends to casting, where he has become a sought-after casting director in the industry. He has worked on notable films such as Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Rimini’ (2022) and ‘Sparta’ (2023), bringing his keen eye for talent to these projects. Additionally, he played a crucial role in the casting for the upcoming film ‘Des Teufels Bad / The Devil’s Bath’ (2024), by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala.

Instagram: Henri Steinmetz

Published: 16th January 2024