Unter demselben Himmel

For many young women in Duisburg, their home lies along an invisible line that separates the more privileged south from the structurally disadvantaged north. This boundary is barely perceptible in the urban landscape, yet it shapes access, expectations and future prospects in everyday life. In the photographs, it does not appear as a visible marker, but as a structural condition that subtly shapes biographies, self-perceptions and feelings of belonging.

The focus is on young women whom I portray in close collaboration. Their lived realities show how deeply social structures shape their upbringing and form experiences that cannot be pinned down by external characteristics.

In a present where right-wing populist and exclusionary narratives are becoming more visible again—even in the Ruhr region, particularly in the context of social inequalities and the long-term consequences of structural change—I explore how memory, responsibility, and the future are interconnected. The experiences of the young women portrayed point to social power relations and historical decisions that help shape their life paths, without always being clearly identifiable in everyday life.

A central aspect of the work stems from my biographical connection to the city. My mother grew up in Duisburg and left the city at an age that the young women portrayed are at today – and at which I myself am now. Her memories intersect with the present-day realities of the women portrayed, revealing how experiences are continued, shifted or passed on unspoken across generations.