Nadja Wohlleben

Independent Photojournalist, Documentary Photographer & Cultural Anthropologist

www.nadjawohlleben.com

PORTRAITS

Location: Berlin, Germany

Nationality: German

Biography: I am an independent German photojournalist, documentary photographer and cultural anthropologist based in Berlin. A careful play of documentation and artistry, my work focuses on concepts of femininity, power and identity. I am specifically... read on

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Anne Luise Kitzerov for STERN Magazine
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Anne Luise Kitzerov, 38, and her daughter Henriette, 12, portrayed in their house in Berlin Pankow.

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Self-portrait. Since the Corona crisis started, my mood has been changing rapidly. At times I feel blue, like I woke up to the worst nightmare dystopia. Other times I feel positive that this unprecedented situation will bring a much needed change to our awareness and ultimately lead to a better world for all beings. Berlin, Germany, April 2, 2020.

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Anika Decker for DER SPIEGEL Magazine
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Anika Decker, 43, portrayed at Ullstein publishing house, where the German script writer and director recently published her first novel 'Wir von der anderen Seite'. Berlin, Germany, July 8, 2019.

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Anastasia Biefang for STERN Magazine
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Anastasia Biefang, 45, is a commander at the German Bundeswehr. She was born a man and felt trapped in the wrong body for a long time. It took her 20 years to come out in front of her parents and colleagues, who supported her choice of undergoing a full gender transition. Today, she said, she is happy that her body finally suits her.

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Oskar B., 4, embraces his mother Claudia, 37, inside their room at a women's shelter. Claudia was married to Oskar's father, an abusive drug addict, for almost ten years when she finally decided to leave him in April 2016. Claudia eventually found the courage to escape the circle of violence after her husband attempted to poison her, she said. At an earlier point he drugged and raped her and continuously threatened to kill her. According to WHO 25% of women in Germany and almost 30% worldwide have been subjected to domestic violence. Globally, 38% of recorded murder cases against women have been committed by an intimate partner. Berlin, GERMANY, June 7, 2016.

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Tanja Lang-Gernath for Neues Deutschland.
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Interview with Tanja Lang-Gernath, who works as a nurse during the Corona Pandemic. Berlin, Germany, April 10, 2020.

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Zeina Nassar, 21, German box champion portrayed inside her first boxing gym. Berlin, Germany, November 2018.
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From the portrait series 'Zeina Nassar'

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'The Birdman' for TAZ newspaper
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Evacuation of a homeless shelter in Berlin

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Dia Monawar for ZEIT Online
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Dia Monawar, 23, works as a waiter in the Restaurant 'Kreuzberger Himmel' in Berlin. Mr. Monawar is from Damaskus, Syria, and lives in Germany since two years. Berlin, GERMANY, July 30, 2018.

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Emy Fem for NEUES DEUTSCHLAND Newspaper
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Emy Fem, Sex Arbeiterin und Aktivistin, porträtiert in Berlin, Deutschland, am 30. Oktober 2019.

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Jigme Konchok Lhamo, 25, from Himachal Prasesh, India, became a nun in 2006. She has been learning Kung Fu since eight years. “His Holiness believes in the strength of the body. He supports us and sees sports activities as an addition to our spiritual studies. Kung Fu is mental training. It makes you stronger and more confident. We demonstrate Kung Fu and teach girls, for whom self-defense can be very important. Actually kung fu is not for fighting or causing pain; it is for self-defense”. Kathmandu, Nepal, April 1, 2019.
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From the ongoing series 'The Kung Fu Nuns of the Himalayas'

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Dounya Z., 27, portrayed in Dubai, UAE, on 27 December, 2014.

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Moran Sanderovich for TAZ newspaper
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Moran Sanderovich, 37, “My art gives me the possibility to observe and research private and collective topics in a different way such as monstrous, scary, revolting." Berlin, GERMANY, September 13, 2018.

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Sarah S., 18, says the most traumatic experience of her life was when her father cut off her long hair during an argument. Shortly afterwards, her mother left her abusive husband. For years the family lived in fear. Berlin, GERMANY, August 19, 2016.

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Marianne Spring-Räumschüssel for THE FINANCIAL TIMES
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'There is a sense that the country is losing its bearings,' says Marianne Spring-Räumschüssel, leader of the AfD group in the Cottbus local council, pictured inside Cottbus' town house. Cottbus, GERMANY, January 31, 2018.

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Jonathan Niclaus for TAZ newspaper
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Jonathan Niclaus, 26, works as Designer und Art Director in Berlin. For Niclaus, his graphic works are travels away from the digital world. His drawings, graphics, and paintings explore the aesthetics of form and color in a nostalgic way. Berlin, GERMANY, October 24, 2018.

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Elizabeth Kamau for NO MEANS NO WORLDWIDE
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Elizabeth Kamau, 60, portrayed inside her hut in the Korogocho township "I like being a good role model to children by showing them that a woman can be strong and empowered", she said. Elizabeth has been training with the 'Shosho Jikinge' (Engl.: 'Grandmother defend yourself') group since five years and has successfully applied self-defense techniques to fight off potential sexual attackers.

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Amina for HUMEDICA
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Syrian refugee Amina with four of her five children in their tent. || She is the center of their lives as their father or other male figures are absent. Many female refugees are single parents, as their husbands have gone missing or been killed in the Syrian war. Bekaa Valley, LEBANON, September 5, 2014.

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Meenakshi Raghavan 'Gurukkhal, 76, practices a 'Kalaripayattu' sword choreography at the 'Kadathanad Kalari Sangham' school and temple. Here, she teaches around 150 students of all ages and genders fighting techniques and weaponry. Vatakara, Kerala, INDIA , September 23, 2017.
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From the series 'A Sword & A Sari'

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Iris Gutmann for ZEIT Online
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Iris Gutmann, 56, porträtiert im Garten Ihres Hauses in Sebnitz, Deutschland, 10. Mai 2019.

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Veronica Veneziano for ZEIT Online
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Veronica Veneziano, 42, portrayed in her garden in Berlin, GERMANY, August 29, 2018.

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Vladimir Hepner for ZEIT Online
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Vladimir Hepner, 54, portrayed in his apartment in Prague, Czech Republic, May 2019.

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Anette Hofmann for NEUES DEUTSCHLAND newspaper
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Anette Hofmann portrayed in her apartment in Berlin, August 2019.

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Jana Koehler for ZEIT Online
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Jana Koehler, 55, head of the German Institute for Artificial Intelligence, portrayed at the institute. Berlin, Germany, May 13, 2019.

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Beatrice Njeri Murange for NO MEANS NO WORLDWIDE
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Beatrice Njeri Murange, 71, at her hut in the Korogocho township. Beatrice has successfully applied various skills she learned since joining the 'Shosho Jikinge' group five years ago.
Nairobi, KENYA, February 28, 2017.

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Helen Wairimu, 106, is the oldest participant of the ‘Shosho Jikinge’ (Engl.: ‘Grandmother defend yourself’) group in the Korogocho township. A rape survivor, Helen has been training self-defense techniques with around 20 other women, aged between 55-106 years, for six years. In 2016, a heavy-set, young man came to Helen’s hut and raped her. Helen still participates in the class every week, eager to encourage the other women to train harder through her role as a survivor. Nairobi, KENYA, February 28, 2017.
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From the series 'Shosho Jikinge'