Julika Rudelius
I am happiest when I have a camera in my hand. Then many questions and doubts disappear, I think and work more instinctively, I become one with what I see and do.
Julika Rudelius (Germany, 1971) creates videos and staged photographs about everyday encounters shaped by background, power, and social difference. In works such as Your Blood Is as Red as Mine (2004), she filmed residents of Amsterdam’s Bijlmer district and asked direct questions about what it means to be Black. Her images look simple at first, people standing together, leaning against walls, waiting, talking,but small details disturb the scene. Clothes do not match cultural expectations, gestures feel slightly off, or a single hand signals that something is wrong. These deliberate “mistakes” reveal how quickly we form judgments based on skin color, posture, or setting. The scenes show people side by side, yet subtly divided.
Rudelius’ practice starts from her own doubts and awkward moments. She uses discomfort to address prejudice, racism, and belonging. Rather than presenting society as harmonious, she exposes its tensions and blind spots. By staging scenes instead of documenting reality, she shows how easily images reinforce stereotypes and how fragile those assumptions are. Her work asks viewers to slow down, look closely, and see individuals rather than categories.
