Charlotte Schmitz’ approach to her photography is deliberately personal and often subverts the traditional documentary approach, which allows her to convey her messages about women and migration. She grew up in the danish minority in Germany and studied documentary photography in Hanover. Charlotte's work has been published in The Washington Post and der Spiegel, among other international media outlets. She is the first recipient of the FotoEvidence W Award with her work La Puente, which was published as a photobook in winter 2019. She speaks six languages and is currently based in Berlin where she cofounded Friendzone.Studio to develop creative communication for projects that matter. In Mid-March Charlotte initiated The Journal, a unique collective photography project giving insight into the lives of 400+ women* around the world during Covid-19.
selected solo exhibitions:
2017 »Take me to Jermany«, University of Indiana, Art&Refugee Symposium, Bloomington
2017 »Take me to Jermany«, Nazareth College, Rochester
2017 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful« & »La puente« FotoForum, Innsbruck
2016 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful«, curated by Cemre Yesil, Istanbul
2016 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful«, Intersection 611 Gallery, Hiroshima, Japan
2016 »Take me to Jermany« SUPA Suriye Pasajı, Istanbul
2020 »La Puente« Getxo Photofestival, Spain
2019 »Take me to Jermany« Festival des Libertés, Brussels
2019 »La Puente« Kulturreich Galerie, Hamburg
2019 »Take me to Jermany« + glass installation by Laura Donefer, IUPUI, Indianapolis
2018 ManifestO Rencontres Photographiques de Toulouse, France
2018 »A room of one's own« Leica Gallery Istanbul, Turkey
2018 »Cure as Care« Daire Sanat Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 »Breathing the ultimate wave #feminismusandclass« Sprechsaal, Berlin
2018 »Take me to Jermany« + glass installation by Laura Donefer, Alfstad&Gallery, Sarasota
2017 »Bachelor 2017/1«, GAF, Hanover
2016 »YP_Young Photographers« Erfurter Kunstverein, Erfurt
2016 »Realpraesenz«, Betonbox, Düsseldorf
2015 »Portraits«, Hellerau Photography Award, Hellerau
2014 »Nach neuem Trachten«, Berlin Fashion Week, Lower Saxony State Chancellery
2014 »Baukultur im Bild. Räume + Menschen«, Bundesstiftung Baukultur – Potsdam
2014 »yo soy lo que soy«, Visa Off/Visa pour l'image, Perpignan
selected talks/interviews/events:
2019 La Puente among PH Museum's Best Photobooks 2019
2019 Article + Q&A with The British Journal of Photography about La Puente
2019 Tutor at 20 Fotógrafos in Guatemala
2019 Winner of the first FotoEvidence W-Award with »La Puente«
2019 Ones to Watch, The British Journal of Photography
2019 Lectures & Talks, IUPUI Indianapolis & IU Bloomington, USA
2018 New York Times Portfolio Reviews
2018 RISC Training, Sarajevo
2018 Talk on »Imagery in Times of Political Change« at Fotogalerie Friedrichshain.
2018 »Between Documentary and Activism« by Ceyda Nurtsch
2018 PDN Photo of the Day - »Take me to Jermany«
2017 TIME Lightbox: Women in Photography: 34 voices from around the world
2017 Panel disussion, Art&Refugee Symposium, University of Indiana, USA
2017 Photo Talk with LFI photo editor Carol Körting, f3 Gallery – Freiraum für Fotografie
book events:
11.2019 Polycopies, Paris Photo
11.2019 Book launch at Freundeskreis des Hauses der Photographe Deichtorhallen
12.2019 With Friendzone.Studio at KAPiTAL Berlin
06.2020 VII Photo Book Club with Ziyah Gafic
08.2020 Tibilisi Photofestival with FotoEvidence
Photo ©Johanna-Maria Fritz
selected solo exhibitions:
2017 »Take me to Jermany«, University of Indiana, Art&Refugee Symposium, Bloomington
2017 »Take me to Jermany«, Nazareth College, Rochester
2017 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful« & »La puente« FotoForum, Innsbruck
2016 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful«, curated by Cemre Yesil, Istanbul
2016 »I am so beautiful, so beautiful«, Intersection 611 Gallery, Hiroshima, Japan
2016 »Take me to Jermany« SUPA Suriye Pasajı, Istanbul
selected group exhibitions:
2020 »La Puente« Athens Photofestival, Greece2020 »La Puente« Getxo Photofestival, Spain
2019 »Take me to Jermany« Festival des Libertés, Brussels
2019 »La Puente« Kulturreich Galerie, Hamburg
2019 »Take me to Jermany« + glass installation by Laura Donefer, IUPUI, Indianapolis
2018 ManifestO Rencontres Photographiques de Toulouse, France
2018 »A room of one's own« Leica Gallery Istanbul, Turkey
2018 »Cure as Care« Daire Sanat Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 »Breathing the ultimate wave #feminismusandclass« Sprechsaal, Berlin
2018 »Take me to Jermany« + glass installation by Laura Donefer, Alfstad&Gallery, Sarasota
2017 »Bachelor 2017/1«, GAF, Hanover
2016 »YP_Young Photographers« Erfurter Kunstverein, Erfurt
2016 »Realpraesenz«, Betonbox, Düsseldorf
2015 »Portraits«, Hellerau Photography Award, Hellerau
2014 »Nach neuem Trachten«, Berlin Fashion Week, Lower Saxony State Chancellery
2014 »Baukultur im Bild. Räume + Menschen«, Bundesstiftung Baukultur – Potsdam
2014 »yo soy lo que soy«, Visa Off/Visa pour l'image, Perpignan
selected talks/interviews/events:
2019 La Puente among PH Museum's Best Photobooks 2019
2019 Article + Q&A with The British Journal of Photography about La Puente
2019 Tutor at 20 Fotógrafos in Guatemala
2019 Winner of the first FotoEvidence W-Award with »La Puente«
2019 Ones to Watch, The British Journal of Photography
2019 Lectures & Talks, IUPUI Indianapolis & IU Bloomington, USA
2018 New York Times Portfolio Reviews
2018 RISC Training, Sarajevo
2018 Talk on »Imagery in Times of Political Change« at Fotogalerie Friedrichshain.
2018 »Between Documentary and Activism« by Ceyda Nurtsch
2018 PDN Photo of the Day - »Take me to Jermany«
2017 TIME Lightbox: Women in Photography: 34 voices from around the world
2017 Panel disussion, Art&Refugee Symposium, University of Indiana, USA
2017 Photo Talk with LFI photo editor Carol Körting, f3 Gallery – Freiraum für Fotografie
book events:
11.2019 Polycopies, Paris Photo
11.2019 Book launch at Freundeskreis des Hauses der Photographe Deichtorhallen
12.2019 With Friendzone.Studio at KAPiTAL Berlin
06.2020 VII Photo Book Club with Ziyah Gafic
08.2020 Tibilisi Photofestival with FotoEvidence
Photo ©Johanna-Maria Fritz