I am a self-taught digital and analogue photographer based in Hamburg, Germany. I started many years ago with a wide variety of analogue cameras and an own dark room. My photos were exhibited internationally and were featured in a few online and print magazines. Three ongoing series are at the centre of my photographic work: In one series, ‘Grotesque Self-Portraits’, I create whimsical, poetic and ironic self-portraits that are staged with handmade props and backgrounds. In doing so, I process my experiences with current and future social and personal challenges. This project is inspired by works of German photographer Martin Pudenz and French film director Michel Gondry. In the other series, "Tiny Theatre with Paper-Cut Self-Portraits" I perform as a mini-actor on a handcrafted stage in little plays that surrealistically depict my engagement with the world around me. The scenes often include elements from my childhood dreams. I was inspired to create this photo series by the photographs of Gilbert Garcin and the dream sequence in the Hitchcock thriller ‘I'll Fight for You’, which was designed by Salvador Dali. In the last series I create Polaroids inspired by Magical Realism, which I then arrange with real objects to create small magical still lifes that explore the boundary between reality and fiction. For me, photography is a form of creative escapism, not an escape from reality, but a method of self-efficacy in challenging times.