About Me:
Susanne Bartels is a Munich-based photographic artist working primarily with project-based and conceptual (street) photography. Her practice is rooted in long-term engagement, emotional proximity, and a poetic exploration of social realities, liminal spaces, and human presence in public environments.
Her work is conceptually connected to the legacy of Surrealism, not as an aesthetic imitation, but as an attitude toward reality that is attentive to the unseen, the irrational, and the fragile space between the visible and the felt.
A guiding reference in her practice is the line by Paul Éluard:
There is another world, but it is in this one.
Her photography begins precisely there, in moments where reality subtly shifts and reveals an inner, parallel layer of experience.
She holds an academic degree in the sciences and approaches photography with a research-oriented mindset, combining analytical precision with intuitive, empathic observation. This background informs her sustained interest in social structures, collective rituals, and the quiet tension between observation and participation.
Bartels developed her artistic voice through international mentorships and intensive exchanges with renowned photographers and visual artists. Her work draws from both contemporary and historical photographic practices, as well as influences from painting, performance, and literature. Over time, her focus has shifted decisively toward long-term, narrative-driven projects.
She is the author of the completed photobook projects City Surfers and PHANTASOS, both examining youth, identity, and the reclaiming of urban space through movement, play, and ritual. These works explore moments of freedom, resistance, and transformation within structured environments.
Her current artistic research centers on several long-term documentary projects. These include a closed social community in Puerto Rico, a rural and cultural landscape in Bavaria, and a poetic documentary series developed in the Pinzgau region of Austria.
Across these geographies, Bartels investigates themes of belonging, transience, tradition, and inner transformation, often revealing surreal undercurrents within everyday life.
She is the founder of IKIGAI.dialog, an independent photographic platform based on visual exchange and dialogical collaboration. In addition, she regularly works in artistic collaboration with writers, editors, and independent publishing initiatives, expanding her photographic practice into interdisciplinary and collective formats.
Bartels has been selected for exhibitions and visual art presentations at international festivals and events, including the Rencontres d’Arles OFF program. Her work has been featured in magazines and publications and is presented in exhibitions, books, and curated platforms.
Her photography does not aim to explain the world, but to remain in contact with it, with people, fleeting situations, and moments that resist being fixed.
CV:
- 2014–2024: Freelance photographic artist based in Munich, Germany
- 2024: Honorable Mention and publication at the Street Macadam Award
- 2024: Gold Medal winner at the Paris International Street Photography Award (PISPA) in the category “Street & Children”
- 2025: Exposure One Awards – Gold and Bronze
- 2025: Finale Rome Photolab Series September 2025
Solo and Group Exhibitions:
- 2017: Solo exhibition Botswana – The Special Moment at Galerie München, Theatinerstr. 47
- 2022: Solo exhibition Mirrors and Windows at Galerie München, Theatinerstr. 47
- 2023: Group exhibition The Beautiful Helena at Galerie La Grande Vitrine, Rencontres d’Arles
- 2024: Solo exhibition Rifletti prima di riflettere at Galerie München, Theatinerstr. 47
- 2024: Group exhibition featuring two works from Rifletti prima di riflettere at Galerie La Grande Vitrine, Rencontres d’Arles
- 2024: Solo exhibition Amazing Grace at M-Yard München (invited as a photographer to represent visual arts at a renowned artist event in Munich)
- 2025: Group exhibition ENSEMBLE curated by Salif Dekamo at Windfall GmbH
- 2025: Rencontres d'Arles at David Alan Harvey's Burn Book Signing (participation with the book “City Surfers”)
- 2025: Selection from among the 40 winners of the competition “Das Wesentliche” (The Essentials) Exhibition at the Leica Gallery Munich (August 9–21, 2025)
Collaborations:
- Worked with various international galleries and art organizations
- Online curator for street_me_up, a platform for street photographers
- Commissioned works for websites and interior designs, including for Sabrina Lindemann, Elisabeth Dean, Rainer Janousch, Boris Pikula, Alexander Fink, and Nicolas S. Streichenberg
- Founder of the Instagram platform Ikigai.dialog
- Partners on the Instagram platform:
- IKIGAI.dialog since July 2025
- unlimited_zone_zine since Februar 2026 - Member of the Instagram platform fotografarpalavras
Publications:
- 2022: Mirrors and Windows exhibition booklet, Munich, Germany
- 2023: A State of Consciousness artist book, Rencontres d’Arles, France
- 2023: Rifletti prima di riflettere art print zine, Munich, Germany
- 2024: Burn Oaxaca Zine artist book, Mexico
- 2024: Beneath the Surface artist book, Rencontres d’Arles, France
- 2024: Rifletti prima di riflettere portfolio in Profifoto magazine, Issue 12/2024
- 2025: City Surfers hard cover book 03/2025
- 2026: PHANTASOS book 02/2026
Mentors and Coaches:
- 2011: Greg Gorman
- 2012: Tim Mantoani
- 2012–2013: Steve Thornton
- 2012: Mike Larson
- Since 2020: Marc De Tollenaere
- 2022: Eolo Perfido
- 2022: Steve McCurry
- Since 2023: David Alan Harvey