LIGHT MATTERS
THE FEMALE WISDOM

Under My Skin

Female Wisdom

Under My Skin
An exploration of identity, resilience, and transformation
This project is more than just a photographic or cinematic work – it is a process of becoming and understanding that has grown over the course of months. It tells the story of Madlen, a woman who is not only my friend but also holds an exceptional leadership position. She is used to taking on responsibility, making decisions, and creating something new.

Madlen managed to establish the “Neue Denkerei “– and she did so with three children. Today, mothers in the workforce benefit from increasing support through flexible working hours and childcare options. But her breast cancer diagnosis, which struck her at such a young age, presented an entirely different kind of challenge. This journey is more difficult – not only because of the illness itself but because it is surrounded by societal taboos.

Our society often reduces the body to its functionality, particularly in professional contexts. There are structures in place to ease the return to work after parental leave, but what happens when the body is disrupted by illness? When illness not only fractures the physical self but also destabilizes the emotional and existential core? Women like Madlen, who are accustomed to projecting strength and stability, suddenly find themselves navigating a reality shaped by ruptures and transformations – a reality that is rarely acknowledged or understood.“Under My Skin” seeks to illuminate these tensions. It challenges societal taboos surrounding illness and transformation while exploring questions of identity, self-perception, and the courage required to redefine one’s place in the world. Through the lens of my camera, Madlen’s journey becomes a visual and emotional dialogue, revealing not only the struggle against illness but also a profound movement toward an essence that transcends the visible.

This work dismantles the familiar, questioning supposed certainties and shifting perspectives on life. The experience of illness unveils not only a new vulnerability but also a deeper awareness of existence – a heightened sensitivity to mortality that is both painful and transformative. Everyday life, once seen as a series of obligations, becomes a space filled with purpose and clarity.


“Under My Skin” is not merely a portrait of strength in its conventional form but an exploration of the quiet, unassuming power that emerges from confronting one’s own mortality. It is about the profound ability to transform this awareness into a reimagined life. This work invites us to view ruptures not as fractures of weakness but as thresholds of growth – offering a renewed perspective on existence, resilience, and the possibilities of the future for all, regardless of gender.