The Procedure (2023)

In 2016, the Indianapolis Star first published allegations of sexual abuse by two gymnasts at the hands of U.S. national gymnastics team doctor and Michigan State University professor Larry Nassar. In 2018, Nassar was sentenced to over two hundred years in prison for possession of child pornography, statutory rape and sexual abuse on at least 265 counts over a span of nearly 20 years. USA Gymnastics played a critical role in the failure to protect gymnasts from Nassar by failing to bring allegations and reports to court for years, allowing the perpetrator to continue to have unrestricted contact with (underage) gymnasts.

This work is a photographic search for traces. Five years after Nassar's conviction, I visit the places where the events took place and photograph a snapshot that is brought into the context of the past with the help of Victim Impact Statements and documents. The project raises the question of what something looks like - the only thing that the photographic medium alone can actually answer - and how a photographic image of a place or scene changes when it is placed in the context of a past event through the multimodal use of image and text while there is also a special focus on the (visual) media reporting about this case. At the same time, a meritocracy, as it exists not only in the USA, is illuminated, which is based on the representation of perfection and flawless success and leaves no room for dealing with wrongdoings - such as the abuse scandal in this case.

exhibition view, Rekorder 2, Dortmund, 2024