Stefan grew up in the 80s of Socialist East Germany, very close to the omnipresent socio-cultural dividing wall in Berlin Pankow. When the wall came down in '89, Stefan was only 10 years old. He always imagined the West to be a happy colorful place where dreams could come true. His relatives who lived on the other side of the wall in West Berlin always brought him the nicest things – fruits he'd never seen, comic books that fueled his imagination and his first camera.
Once Berlin was reunited Stefan started to explore the city in his own way. Berlin fast and constantly transforming - on its way to form a new identity. Equipped with his camera, Stefan soon became obsessed with capturing this new world that the west opened up, the endless opportunities it seemed to provide, the freedom and decided to fully embrace it. Over the years he became accustomed with the media saturated society of the West, its turbo capitalism and obsession with tabloid and celebrity culture. Working as a freelance photographer in the advertising industry he still managed to maintain some of his unique East spirit, unimpressed by the superficial consumer culture of the west. Like many of his fellow east Germans who left their villages and cities to get a glimpse of the magic they thought the West could provide them with, he realized that it wasn't all glamour that waited for him out there.
Drawing specific attention to the ever increasing casting, model "make me famous" agencies in Berlin, Stefan shows how Germany ever too quickly just adapts to American standards and their popular cultural output. Because they are still lacking its own identity, they are to a certain extent, welcoming the American popular cultural imperialism – young German girls obsessed with, and trying to imitate their American idols and their dreams of "FAME".
It's a hard competition in Berlin for actors, models, singers and wannabe celebrities as the German media landscape can only offer limited time, space and use for them. The girls have to go through a hard competition and can only expect a short-lived career – whereas in the States people appreciate their stars (because they made it) as part of the American dream, in Germany the public just waits for them to fail and for the media to jump on them.
Stefan's portrait series shows 38 girls that all attended the same casting, all who look very much alike and all didn't get the job in the end. Especially without their eyes they look like clones created by a global media industry
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