Corina Gertz: An Eternal Typology

Essay in Clara Maria Sels (ed.), Corina Gertz: The Averted Portrait, Kerber Verlag, Bielefeld, 2023. The essay, published in both German and English, contextualises Gertz's practice within the histories of typological photography, pioneered by photographers including August Sander and Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Corina Gertz photographs women from around the world wearing traditional national dress. Her focus is on the quieter side of the portrait - the figure seen from behind. The individual remains hidden, so that information is conveyed only by the clothing.

Splendid fabrics with sumptuous embroidery shine with sculptural and painterly intensity against a deep black background, captured in a clear, expressive composition. Her portraits tell tales of traditional wisdom, conventions, customs, and practices, reflecting Gertz’s interest in the aesthetic, political, social, and cultural context.