Born in Cuxhaven, Germany, in 1970, and raised in an artistic family, Jessica Backhaus is regarded as one of the most distinguished voices in contemporary photography in Germany today. Her work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including the National Portrait Gallery, London, the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin and the Kunsthalle Erfurt. To date, she has ten publications to her name; Jesus and the Cherries, 2005, What Still Remains, 2008, One Day in November, 2008, I Wanted to See the World, 2010, ONE DAY- 10 photographers, 2010, Once, still and forever, 2012, Six degrees of freedom, 2015, A TRILOGY, 2017, Far away but Close, 2019 and Cut Outs, 2021, all published by Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg/ Berlin, except Far Away but Close which is published by Another Place Press, Scotland. Her work is also featured in the book: Women Photographers by Boris Friedewald (Prestel Verlag 2014).
From her large number of solo and group show we highlight the ones that took place in National Portrait Gallery, London, Goethe Institut, Paris, France, Arles, France Centrum Kultury Zamek, Poznan, Poland, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Kunsthalle Erfurt, Germany, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Germany, Midland Art Centre, Birmingham andScottish National Portrait Gallery.
Jessica Backhaus’ works are in many prominent art collections including Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Germany, ING Art Collection, Belgium, Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA and the Margulies Collection, Miami, USA. In 2012 FOAM Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam produced a short documentary “Wonder Jessica Backhaus”, a film by Willem Aerts.
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
In her third solo exhibition at Galeria Carlos Carvalho Arte Contemporânea, Jessica Backhaus will present two of her most recent series: THE NATURE OF THINGS and INDICATIONS OF THE SEA.
In the series THE NATURE OF THINGS, Jessica Backhaus focuses on the universe of small elements and subtle details, which often carry deeper meanings that can provide a broader understanding of the reality of things.
In INDICATIONS OF THE SEA, the artist uses collage in a poetic approach of nuances, textures, and fleeting moments, representing an evolution in her repertoire. She now brings her vocabulary and practice into a transitional space between reality and abstraction.
In each of these works, there is a common effort to expand on the small details of everyday life, transforming them into a microcosm of sensory experiences. By focusing on seemingly insignificant details, the artist reveals the complex reality of simple things, almost reducing them to their elemental plasticity: light, shadow, color, and volume, highlighting the visual elements. Through these compositions, Backhaus manages to distill the essence of things, removing the unnecessary and concentrating on the simplest units. This reduction to the minimum is not a simplification but a way of amplifying the intensity and presence of the elements, articulating the representation of reality with abstraction.
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Lime (from the series The Nature of Things), 2022
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Rain (from the series The Nature of Things), 2021
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 50 x 40 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm
Archival Pigment Prints, 90 x 60 cm