© Charlotte Schmitz | Take me to Jermany, Lesvos, Greece, November 2015
Take me to Jermany
Charlotte Schmitz
Charlotte Schmitz made Polaroids of refugees and had them write their stories.
Words by
Artdoc
"I see only humans, not humanity." This text is written on a pale polaroid photo of two young men dressed in warm jackets, caps on their heads, staring with a mixture of hope and despair at the camera. Underneath the image, on the white area that is usually a part of a Polaroid, we read: "We met in Turkey and we travelling both about 2 years." On their jackets, we read the names of the boys: Dappy and Josh. The photo was taken in November 2015 in Eidomeni, at the Greek/North Macedonian border. German photographer Charlotte Schmitz took this Polaroid for her compelling series about refugees Take me to Jermany.
From 2015 to 2016, Charlotte Schmitz photographed the Polaroid series, which chronicles the dangerous journey of asylum seekers from Turkey to Europe. By letting the refugees write on the photos, she turned them into co-authors of the project. Schmitz explains her method: "Mainstream coverage often reinforces a stereotypical view of asylum seekers and barely involves them telling their own stories. So, I encouraged the people I photographed to write on their Polaroids, thereby creating their own narratives – their stories reveal a nuanced, human, relatable depth to them."
Many people fleeing war and persecution take the dangerous sea route from Turkey to Greece, searching for a new home in Europe. Germany took a leading role in coordinating the EU's response to the humanitarian crisis, creating a welcome culture. But this positive attitude did not last long, Schmitz discovered. "The phrase 'I see only Humans, not Humanity' is a painful, poignant statement. It perfectly describes the aftermath of the EU-Turkey deal in Greece. Asylum seekers are still living under horrible conditions and are stuck in legal limbo on the islands or in other places of the Balkans."
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Participation
When Charlotte Schmitz travelled to Istanbul in 2014, she was suddenly much closer to the civil war in Syria, where she met many people who took the dangerous journey towards Europe. "When I started with my project, I immediately knew that the people I would photograph should tell their own stories. I made the images in collaboration with the subjects. They became part of the creative process by writing their stories on their polaroids. Participatory photography has been a foundational method of my art ever since, as it minimizes a possible biased structure as a result of the regular photographic process. Participation of the subjects creates a deeper and more complex understanding of the people involved."
Media misrepresentation
It was necessary for Schmitz to bring social issues to the public debate by presenting a new perspective, thereby raising awareness and hopefully engaging a wider audience. "I often work on women and migration-related issues, focusing on individualism, the private space, and intimacy—using photography to take an intimate look into people's lives and places. One of my fundamental motivations for being a photographer and an artist is that women are misrepresented and underrepresented in almost all forms of media. Art has always been the medium to carry progressive values and social themes, so I prioritize focusing on gender, sexuality, and women's situation in many of my projects. I also prefer showing what we have in common as individuals, which is more important than what divides us."
Building trust and intimacy
Working with Polaroid has particular advantages for Schmitz because the process breeds intimacy between her and the people involved. "Polaroid allows the people to control their photograph and even change the outcome. Photographing with a polaroid builds trust, which is especially important when working in difficult environments or in places where photography is usually not allowed, like in the brothel La Puente, where I photographed for many years. I also love working with Polaroid because I don't focus on taking too many pictures but rather on being present with the people."
Moria
Every time the photographer was on the Greek Island Lesvos meant a challenging experience. "I spent quite some time in Moria, which was Europe's biggest refugee camp before it burned down in 2020. The aftermath of the EU-Turkey deal in Greece is horrible. It brought both physical and mental damage and also shakes the foundations upon which the European idea was built. Seeing the consequences of migration policies on the lives of those at the centre of it is extremely difficult."
Innovative approaches
All Charlotte Schmitz’s projects have a political character, naturally as a result of the issues on which she is working. She often documents what happens behind the scenes of disenfranchised communities. "As a documentary photographer, I have the responsibility to rethink narratives and contribute to new documentary approaches in photojournalism by applying participatory photography. This way of working is not widespread yet, especially not in the journalistic field, but I am determined to make a change. I do believe that we need innovative approaches to debate contemporary issues and challenge stereotyped perceptions, thereby minimizing hierarchies and any form of unbalanced power structures that the traditional storytelling process generates."
Social art
Art with a social or cultural impact inspires her. "Looking around, from increasing social injustice to climate change, we have to make a change now, be political, and inspire others to join. One year ago, I initiated a global photography collective of several hundred women and non-binary photographers, who have come together to create a network for connection, creativity, and support while advocating for an equitable photography society. Working alongside those women daily inspires me."
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