Kelly II (Beachshoot) - 2005 Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. 20x20cm. Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Certificate and signature label. Artist Inventory #1450.16. Excellent condition. Not mounted. Beachshoot These photographic fantasies are determined by carefully chosen constraints and the use of symbolic attributes. Telegraph poles, airplanes, vast wastelands, a train bridge or a 50s American car tell in the same manner different stories, as do lurid wigs, kids toys, a headscarf or an old super 8 camera. Schneider’s work feeds on anecdotes and storytelling, but also on her specific European perspective on America. The world of her photographs is populated by narrow-chested boys and fragile girls, who do not seem to be aware of their own youth and beauty. Their lightheartedness is invaded by a menacing grown-up world, to which they oppose their juvenile lack of compromise. 
And actually her work does have an autobiographical aspect to it, since the artist makes herself and her friends the focus of the camera. Stefanie Schneider photographs her ‘mises en scene’ with a Polaroid camera, of all things. The medium that is usually understood as a means to conserve documentary immediacy is being used in its opposite sense, since places, postures, costumes and especially the eye-catching image sections are staged. This technical ‘plot device’ mirrors her method as well as her purpose: the laureate of the Folkwangschule Essen uses only expired Polaroid material. Marks, scintillation, black empty smudges and massive changes in colour add a second layer of reality to the shots and question the validity of imagery, the symbols and the relevance of proper memories. From these picture that look amateurish and casual raise the impression of authenticity on which we stumble from one moment to the next. - Petra Prahl