Lena (2008/09)
Lena.Portrait of a German-Russian emigration 2003–2008
| An exhibition with photographs by Stefan Volk |
Lena lives today in Paderborn and is training to become an educator. In 2004, at the age of 23, she left her Siberian hometown Slawgorod and traveled through the transit camp Friedland to Germany. The photographer Stefan Volk accompanied Lena on her journey to her new home over five years, creating a unique portrait exemplifying the path of around 4.4 million resettlers and late resettlers in the Federal Republic.
Lena belongs to that minority whose German ancestors emigrated from Hesse, Prussia, and Southwest Germany to Russia between 1763 and 1842. To make the uninhabited regions of the vast empire habitable, the tsarist regime offered numerous privileges to attract them. Land shortages and the devastation due to the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) were reasons for emigration.
Why exactly Lena’s ancestors emigrated to Russia is no longer known to the family. To this day, German remains their mother tongue. The family waited five years for permission to emigrate until they were allowed to travel by train to Moscow and then by bus to the transit camp Friedland in April 2004.
The photographer Stefan Volk documented Lena’s everyday life in Russia, her emigration, and the journey to Germany. In the autumn of 2008, he met her again in Westphalian Paderborn. The resulting photo exhibition showcases 45 snapshots from Lena’s life, vividly illustrating the transition between two living worlds.
“In Germany, I feel at home, but my homeland lies in Siberia,” says Lena today. She keeps the possibility open to one day return to Russia.
The special exhibition was bilingual (German-Russian) and was on display at the Deutsches Auswandererhaus Bremerhaven from November 23, 2008, until January 15, 2009, and again from May 25 to October 23, 2009.
Stefan Volk works in the fields of reportage, travel, and portrait, among others for “GEO,” “Stern,” and “Brigitte,” and has been dedicating himself to the topic of German-Russians for many years. The photo report was made possible with the kind support of the Cultural Foundation of VG BILD-KUNST, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the company Hasselblad.
Photography from the exhibition “Lena. Portrait of a German-Russian emigration 2003–2008”