People nominee

This series tells the life of Fritz Dressler (b. 1937), a landscape and architectural photographer who has suffered from Alzheimer’s for several years. He also was formerly Professor of Photography and »Moving Images« at the University of the Arts in Bremen. We met on the occasion of a photofestival that took place in the artist village of Worpswede in Northern Germany, where Fritz resided for more than 40 years. He was known for his influential and creative personality that - despite his dementia - had left him a charming and deeply expressive character when I got to know him. Fritz found immense pleasure and pride in himself by falling back on taking pictures himself. It had a meaning-giving quality for him then. Meanwhile, he is no longer able to call his illness by its name, but can only resignedly acknowledge, »Actually, I don’t know anything anymore.« But his self-awareness – as someone who sees himself as an artist and thus preserves his presence – is still alive: »I am not dead, I’m still walking!« In my work I am completely committed to the emotional reality of my charismatic protagonist: his intensity, vulnerability and resilience define the portraits of his soul.

Mirja Maria Thiel, born in 1971, holds a master in comperative literature, and worked for literary publishing houses’ editorial departments as well as for the World Wide Fund for Nature, and as a non-fiction author. Since 2014 Mirja has been a photography student at the University of Applied Sciences and the Arts, Hannover, Germany. Next to local journalism she concentrates on long-term projects dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and social issues. She lives with her husband and their three children close to Bremen in northern Germany.

Finalist Portraits-Hellerau Photography Award 2020. Finalist in the "Best Work by an Emerging Photographer Category" at Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2019 (exhibition "Winners and Nominees" in Osnabrück, Germany October-March 2019/20); Siena International Photo Awards 2019: Remarkable Artwork; finalist in the Out From the Mist-Competition 2019 (Exhibition ABC Building Brisbane, Australia); finalist at the first ever Hahnemühle Student Photo Competition, Silver at Tokyo International Foto Award 2018 (Portfolio-Personal); finalist at World.Report/Documenting Humanity, Italy 2018; finalist at VGH-Prize Hannover 2018 (exhibition in GAF-Galerie Hanover, Germany February 2019); ; finalist at Portraits-Hellerau Photography Award 2018 (exhibition Festspielhaus Hellerau/Dresden, Germany spring 2018). Several Honorable Mentions in International Photography competitions.