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Im Fokus: die Rolle heranwachsender Mädchen im indischen Bundesstaat Meghalaya

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Karolin Klüppel (geb.1985 in Kassel) kann bereits auf ein Schaffen zurückblicken, dass sich einer Vielzahl enthusiastischer Besprechungen und Auszeichnungen erfreut. Die außerordentliche Resonanz verdankt sich dem eleganten Changieren ihrer Fotografien zwischen Dokumentation und Komposition sowie ihrem ausgeprägten Gespür für eindrückliche Themen. Die Bilder der Serie Mädchenland bestechen nicht nur durch ihre eindringliche und kontemplative Ästhetik, sie erzählen auch eine Geschichte. Durch die Gesichter von Mädchen erblickt man die Lebenswelt und Kultur der Khasi, eines indigenen Volkes im indischen Bundesstaat Meghalaya, dessen Gesellschaftsform matrilinear organisiert ist: Hier wird die jüngste Tochter in der Erbfolge bevorzugt. Heiratet sie, zieht ihr Ehemann in das Haus ihrer Familie ein, die Kinder erhalten den Namen der Mutter. Nur die Geburt einer Tochter sichert die Kontinuität des Clans. Von 2013 bis 2015 verbrachte die Fotografin insgesamt 10 Monate in dem Khasi-Dorf Mawlynnong und fing dort magische Bilder ein.

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Karolin Klüppel ( 1985 in Kassel) can already look back at a body of creative work that enjoys a wide range of enthusiastic reviews and awards. This extraordinary resonance is due to the elegant alternation of her photographs between documentation and composition as well as her marked sense of impressive subjects. The pictures in the Kingdom of Girls series stand out not only due to their powerful and contemplative aesthetic, they also tell a story. The girls faces reveal the lifeworld and culture of the Khasi, an indigenous people in the Indian state of Meghalaya with a matrilineal social system: the youngest daughter is given preference in the order of succession. When she marries, her husband moves into her familys home, the children receive the mothers name. Only the birth of a daughter guarantees the continuity of the clan. Between 2013 and 2015, the photographer spent a total of ten months in the Khasi village of Mawlynnong, where she captured these magical images.

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Karolin Klüppel ( 1985 in Kassel) can already look back at a body of creative work that enjoys a wide range of enthusiastic reviews and awards. This extraordinary resonance is due to the elegant alternation of her photographs between documentation and composition as well as her marked sense of impressive subjects. The pictures in the Kingdom of Girls series stand out not only due to their powerful and contemplative aesthetic, they also tell a story. The girls´ faces reveal the lifeworld and culture of the Khasi, an indigenous people in the Indian state of Meghalaya with a matrilineal social system: the youngest daughter is given preference in the order of succession. When she marries, her husband moves into her family´s home, the children receive the mother´s name. Only the birth of a daughter guarantees the continuity of the clan. Between 2013 and 2015, the photographer spent a total of ten months in the Khasi village of Mawlynnong, where she captured these magical images.

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