Mika Sperling

German
In Mother Tongue, Mika Sperling (*1990) uses her personal family history to explore the influence of origin and culture on interpersonal relationships. Language plays a key role in this. Her own young daughter and her Vietnamese mother-in-law are at the centre of the photographic exploration. Sperling experiments with perspectives, close-ups and reflective surfaces, showing the environment and personal objects of those portrayed. Trained in a documentary tradition, Sperling represents a new generation of female photo essayists who take historical references and process them in different media and objects to interact more with the audience.

English
In Mother Tongue, Mika Sperling (*1990) examines how origins and culture influence interpersonal relationships based on her personal family history. Language plays a key role in this. Her young daughter and her Vietnamese stepmother are the focus of the photographic examination. Sperling experiments with perspectives, close-ups, and reflecting surfaces and shows the surroundings and personal objects of the individuals portrayed. Trained in a documentary tradition, Sperling represents a new generation of photo-essayists that takes up historical references and processes them in various mediums and objects so as to engage more intensively with the audience.