Double Success: Weimar Students Receive Emerging Artist Funding for Socially Critical Photography Projects
Two photography projects from the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (by Mai Do and Teresa Fischer) are among the eight works selected for the new »Expanded Horizons« international funding programme. The »Körber-Stiftung« and the »Haus der Photographie der Deichtorhallen Hamburg« are awarding 1,000 euros in prize money and production funding to each project for further development. Starting in November 2026, the »PHOXXI – Haus der Photographie« in Hamburg will be showcasing the projects in an exhibition.
Mai Do studies Visuelle Kommunikation (Visual Communication) (B.A.) at the Faculty of Art and Design. Her »Every Weekend, Our Attic Becomes Vietnam« project explores how the Vietnamese diaspora in Germany developed new forms of cultural exchange and community gathering in digital spaces during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The starting point of the project is her own family history: Her mother regularly sings Vietnamese songs livestreaming on Facebook from the attic of the family home. Her father set up a studio there with a green screen, lighting, sound, and camera equipment.
Do’s project focusses on more than the performance; it also highlights the often-invisible family care work and the technical infrastructure behind it. Mai Do examines how a sense of belonging and visibility emerge when a private space becomes a public stage. She does not see cultural preservation as stagnant, but as a continuous adaptation and communal practice.
»With this grant, I hope to continue developing the project as a photobook and photographic exhibition; I want to make the connection between the intimacy of family, the digital visual world, and the diasporic public sphere something that can be experienced in a tangible way«, says Mai Do. »I focus on the question of how a sense of belonging can be made visible in an environment where it might not be automatically recognised. By doing this, I’m aiming to generate visibility shaped by my own agency – for my family, my community, and my own perspective. I also want this project to continue in the long term and document other forms of physical and digital gathering.«
Increased Visibility for Lesbian Realities
Teresa Fischer is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Art and Design. Her work examines the visibility of lesbian history and the gaps in public records. The »Herstory Repeats Itself« series is a photographic reimagining of early amateur photographs of sapphic, queer, and lesbian couples. Fischer’s work is inspired by historical images depicting lesbian couples kissing – images that often disappear into private archives as collector's items.
She revisits these visual themes using amateur cameras from the 1910s to the 1950s. In doing this, she challenges the erasure of lesbian realities with modern images. Her series also explores queer spaces, the sense of belonging, and how public spaces can be reinterpreted through visibility, affection, and empowerment.
The AI-generated series »Everybody Wants to Leave Here« visualises the largely undocumented police raids on historic lesbian bars and the ensuing consequences. Lesbian spaces are often remembered as places of love, community, and refuge. The series also highlights the violence, harassment, and constant threat of persecution. Inspired by oral histories and texts such as Leslie Feinberg’s »Stone Butch Blues«, Fisher reveals another gap in the public records: the lack of documentation of violence against lesbians throughout history. »I’m interested in producing my series in a more curated way and expanding it«, says Teresa Fischer, describing her plans for the future of the project.
About »Expanded Horizons – Neue fotografische Perspektiven«
With »Expanded Horizons – Neue fotografische Perspektiven«, the »Haus der Photographie der Deichtorhallen Hamburg« and the »Körber-Stiftung« are pursuing a common goal: To provide long-term support for emerging international photographers and offer new ways for the public to engage with the world of photography.
The grant programme provides support to eight emerging international artists every year. Their photography projects address socially relevant issues and push the boundaries of the medium. In addition to financial support, the programme also includes exhibitions, publications, and an international network. The first exhibition will be held from 20 November 2026 to 27 April 2027 at the »PHOXXI – Haus der Photographie der Deichtorhallen Hamburg«.
https://koerber-stiftung.de/projekte/expanded-horizons/
Selected Projects from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Mai Do: »Every Weekend, Our Attic Becomes Vietnam«
Advisors: Prof. Birgit Wudtke und Julia Albrecht
www.instagram.com/oddmaido
Teresa Fischer: »Herstory Repeats Itself« und »Everybody Wants To Leave Here«
Advisors: Prof. Birgit Wudtke and Prof. Elke Gaugele, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Save the Date: »Expanded Horizons« Exhibition
Opening: Thursday 19 November 2026
Venue: PHOXXI – Haus der Photographie Temporär der Deichtorhallen Hamburg
https://www.deichtorhallen.de/de/deichtorhallen/phoxxi
In case of questions, please contact Romy Weinhold, Press and Public Relations Officer for the Faculty of Art and Design by phone at +49 (0) 3643/58-1186 or by e-mail to romy.weinhold[at]uni-weimar.de.