JULIAN AND JONATHAN
SARAH MAI HERMAN

Begun in 2005, Julian & Jonathan is my most extensive body of work, portraying the
relationship between my father, Jullian, and my half-brother, Jonathan. Jonathan is 20-years
younger than me, and my childhood memories of my relationship with my father have since
found echoes – to some extent – in Jonathan’s experience. I’m interested in the triangulation
between us; the changing proximity and distance we share, and the peculiar feeling of looking
in on a world to which I don’t fully belong.
Over the years, the dynamic between them – and us – has ebbed and flowed. Sometimes they
were close, and at other times they were further removed from one another. They have both
dealt with the hardship of loss and its many painful consequences. My images of Jonathan
throughout his youth, whether alone or with our father, chronicle these shifts and turns. With
each photographic session, I attempt to get closer to him, to establish connection, to understand his inner world; at times, the resistance I’m met with only fuels my intrigue to know more. The project is as much about me and my family as it is about their separate universe.

Diese Ausstellung wird durch die Förderung der Sektion IV – Kunst und Kultur und aus dem Kulturbudget des Bezirks Neubau gefördert.