Birthe Piontek
• Originally from
Germany, Birthe moved
to Canada 10 years ago,
after completing her
MFA from the University
of Duisburg-Essen in
Communication Design
and Photography.
• In 2011, her series,
The Idea of North,
culminated into
a monograph.
• She is addicted to
Instagram. You can
follow her on
@birthepiontek.Step into the uncanny world of Birthe Piontek, who discusses the
complexities of life with Conchita Fernandes.Y
ou will often fi nd Birthe
alone in her studio, fi ddling
with several photo prints.
“What are you trying to
tell me?” she questions the
person in the image. She will then
begin to either cut up the photo or
make creases, or even bathe it in glitter.
At other times, she will ponder about
the treatment she would like to give to
the photograph. There is a lot waiting to
be discovered in the print that she has in
her hand. However, much before Birthe’s
obsession with uncovering the secrets
behind a photograph was the birth ofan idea... what can a photograph reveal
about identity?Conveying transformation
Birthe’s curiosity with the concept of
identity came naturally, as a result of
her outgoing personality. “I am a people
person, and I really like listening to
stories,” she says. However, this passion
took a more psychological turn when she
became keen on exploring how people
think, feel and express themselves.
However, before she began studying
others, she started with studying herself
in her initial work, Lying Still.In Lying still, the
photographs deal with
intimacy, mortality,
sexuality, the different
roles and relationships
that people fi nd
themselves in and how
that changes them.BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY MARCH 2015PROFILE98
PROFILEShowCase
Lying still has been one
of her most intense
projects. she says
that even though the
photographs were
about her, the topics
that she was referring
to in the images
are universal.The Pursuit of Identity