Junge Siegerin [Signed]

240 x 160 mm
56 Pages

25 B/W images
Softcover with laser cut, thread binding
Second Edition of 150 copies, self-published 2015
Editing by Sarah Walzer
Design by Clara Bahlsen & Johannes Siemer

Slightly oblique, somewhat reminiscent of 1920s avant-garde typography, the title of the book is punched into the cover. When the book cover is lifted slightly, the incident light projects the lettering beautifully onto the pink endpaper. Young Victress - A strange title that doesn't seem to fit at all with the following 25 simple black and white portraits. Sarah Walzer has approached young girls and women between 6 and 19 years old who caught her eye on Berlin's streets. For the portrait she asked the girls to a nearby park or green space. Natural backgrounds such as bushes, a tree or a meadow were important to her. (...) "I was guided by my fascination for faces and my need for authentic expression. I was looking for people who show themselves and express their vulnerability and ambivalence," says Sarah Walzer about her intention. This, and not values such as perfection or performance, is what make the girls into young winners. The portraits show exactly this: Tenderness and vulnerability can be a precious strength. It is not often that adolescence is captured as intensely and undisguisedly as in this portrait series.

Michael Klein