3rd place
bronze star award
Stefanie Neuhaus
germany 
Photo © Stefanie Neuhaus
title
The Invisibles
The motivation behind my work was to make these animals visible again.
The concept is based on reversing the strategy of de-individualization that is so important to carnism, the system under which these animals suffer: instead of being invisible and without identity, the animals in the photos suddenly step into the spotlight and become what they really are: valuable individuals with dignity and rights. This stands in stark contrast to their actual reality: luxurious carpets instead of slatted floors, warm light instead of cool neon tubes, softly draping, elegant fabrics instead of cold walls and metal bars. Stage presence instead of hiding. Having a name instead of a number.
The approach was to create conceptual majestic portraits in the style of old Renaissance paintings that emphasize the dignity, beauty, and (true) value of the animals. The images contain clues on different levels that we are not looking at reality.
As always in my photography projects, it was important to me to take real photos and not to use AI Generator. I wanted to connect with the animals, and found support mainly from an animal sanctuary. It was wonderful to see that the animals, often rescued at the last minute from the slaughterhousewere finally able to shine with their whole personalities and express their friendly and peaceful nature.
Her final projects have been recognized with awards and exhibitions in the art scene.
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entry description
They outnumber us almost ten to one, yet we perceive them as an absolute minority. No one cares about the rights of millions of so-called farm animals altough we have knowledge of the fatal treatment of this arbitrarily categorized group. They are deliberately made invisible to the public throughout their lives and, every year, billions of them become increasingly unrecognizable along the production chain until consumers can only recognize them—pureed, cut into pieces, packaged in plastic—as SOMETHING and no longer as SOMEONE.The motivation behind my work was to make these animals visible again.
The concept is based on reversing the strategy of de-individualization that is so important to carnism, the system under which these animals suffer: instead of being invisible and without identity, the animals in the photos suddenly step into the spotlight and become what they really are: valuable individuals with dignity and rights. This stands in stark contrast to their actual reality: luxurious carpets instead of slatted floors, warm light instead of cool neon tubes, softly draping, elegant fabrics instead of cold walls and metal bars. Stage presence instead of hiding. Having a name instead of a number.
The approach was to create conceptual majestic portraits in the style of old Renaissance paintings that emphasize the dignity, beauty, and (true) value of the animals. The images contain clues on different levels that we are not looking at reality.
As always in my photography projects, it was important to me to take real photos and not to use AI Generator. I wanted to connect with the animals, and found support mainly from an animal sanctuary. It was wonderful to see that the animals, often rescued at the last minute from the slaughterhousewere finally able to shine with their whole personalities and express their friendly and peaceful nature.
about the photographer
Stefanie was born near Bonn in 1984 and worked for many years in the creative industry. In 2019, she began to intensify her photography studies at the Cologne Photo Academy, graduating in 2025. Her staged photographic art is often illustrative, radical, and as intimate as portraits or campaigns, characterized by attention to detail, illustrative settings, and a modern, colorful visual style.Her final projects have been recognized with awards and exhibitions in the art scene.
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