Collection: Auguste Friedrich

Auguste Friedrich uses photography as a form of encounter. His pictures are not created from a distance, but in direct exchange. He does not look for the perfect pose, but for a direct, unagitated presence – those moments when protective layers fall away, the camera recedes into the background, and trust becomes palpable.

His path to photography is closely linked to the experience of growing up as an outsider in rural Germany. Early on, precise observation became a form of orientation and deconstruction of his surroundings. The visual language of the 90s and the energy of music television offered him a crucial refuge – a world where identity seemed fluid and renegotiable. These influences still resonate today in the playful, often analog-driven aesthetic of his work.

A central focus of his work is the visibility of queer identities. Under the leitmotif of "Queer Superpowers," Friedrich portrays the quiet strength of those who move beyond the norm. He is less interested in blatant strength than in the complexity and radical honesty that lies in vulnerability.

His adopted home of Berlin serves as a resonance space for him:
"The city can feel raw, direct, and sometimes broken, but it also allows for these very soft, quiet moments."

This ambivalence is reflected in his work, which effortlessly moves between immediate eroticism and gentle intimacy. In a sex-positive context, he creates spaces where individuality can exist beyond performance.

Friedrich's works are an invitation to view closeness and identity unvarnished. Through much exchange and conversation on set, he allows his subjects to arrive at themselves before pressing the shutter. Despite all emotional directness, he always maintains a twinkle in his eye; he approaches his subjects with a lightness that shows that depth, humor, and desire belong together.

Auguste Friedrich lives and works in Berlin.