Family matters

NINA RÖDER STEPPED INTO HER MOTHER’S SHOES FOR A DAY.

Where do you live and what do you do? I’m a photographic artist who lives in Berlin with my boyfriend and one-year-old daughter. Since 2017, I’ve been working as a photography professor – I focus on teaching artistic strategies and exhibition methods. My photos often combine aspects of theatre, stage and performance.

Tell us what’s happening in this photos series. In Mutters Schuhe (mother’s shoes) I show three distinct versions of how my family remembers my mother's youth. We’re all wearing the same shoes in the photos; we see my mother’s perspective, my grandmother’s and my own. We re-enacted special moments from my mother’s youth, like her prom, her education as a hairdresser and the loss of her best friend. The work questions how my mother sees herself in her memories and how her emotions have changed over time.

What drew you to photographing the women in your family? I was interested in my mum’s life, before she was my mum. I wanted to know what dreams and wishes she had for herself. I know she couldn’t get out of the small town she grew up in, which also had to do with my grandmother being very possessive.

Where did you take these photos? I photographed the series in my grandparents’ house in southern Germany. This is the house my mother grew up in. My grandparents lived here for over 60 years, and at some point, they stopped renovating the interior, which is why everything looks so retro.

Tell us about some of the clothes you and your family are wearing. The clothes are very important because there are stories connected to them. The pink dress, for example, is my mother’s original prom dress, which I found in my grandmother’s attic. When I found it, I wanted to know what prom night was like for my mother. Unfortunately, the evening was an absolute disaster. Her dance partner was not only talentless, but gave her a bouquet of carnations. In southern Germany, carnations are used to decorate graves.

You took these photos in 2008 – what do you think when you look back on them? This project is the first real photo series I did as a student. It’s since been published and exhibited internationally – I owe a lot to it. What I didn’t know at the time was that the subjects of family, identity and inherited trauma would be ongoing themes in my work.

What do your mum and grandma think about these photos? This was the first photo series I did with my family, and I still work on projects with my mother. She is always very critical and questions a lot – that’s what I like about our collaboration. My grandmother died in 2017, almost 10 years after this series. I don’t think she was ever at an exhibition or photo show. I explained and showed her where these portraits of her were exhibited, but she always just giggled about it. The three of us have always had a close connection. Photographing together was a lot of fun, even if the moments depicted were often rather sad or thoughtful.

Are there any photographers you admire? Larry Sultan. I love his work about his father. His series The Valley is the first photo series I saw in an exhibition. It inspired me deeply.

Where can we see more of your work? On Instagram at @ninaroeder and at my website ninaroeder.de.