"Erdbeeren aus Spanien" means strawberries from Spain. The edition is part of a long-term project. For almost 16 years, photographer Sonja Stich documented her sons' lives in tune with nature. Wanting to instil a sense of fundamental trust in her children, she documented this photographically over many years. Her children grew up well protected by Mother Nature — but over the course of time this relationship had changed dramatically.
Sonja Stich is a photographer, researcher and activist with a very straight spine. She sees her mission in seeing beauty without closing her eyes to the ugly. In workshops, she empowers people to perceive the world with open eyes, adopting their own stance. With mindful gentleness, she sets a strong example against unjust structures and for the equality of all people. Sonja Stich is originally from Bonn and has lived in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 2011. @sonja_stich_fotografias
Today, Stich sees nature as something fragile. As an extremely enduring system that has now reached its own limits under the powerful pressure of humanity. Something that mankind has to take care of. Not the other way around.
A quarter of the world's population lives in countries with extreme water stress. Water stress is defined as the ratio of water demand to renewable supply. Using a lot of water builds up water stress. Spain has declared a water emergency in 2024, making it one of the 29 most water-stressed countries in the world.
More than half of the water consumed in Spain is used in agriculture. One kilo of strawberries requires 300 liters of water. The little plants are brought to Spain in containers from the Netherlands to ripen. As soon as they are ready to eat, they are transported back north again.
The " Erdbeeren aus Spanien" edition is a nostalgic look back at the feeling of the idea of living in harmony with nature. A time when people ran the washing machines without thinking about water consumption. A time when people commented on dry soil with "wow, look at that". A time when olive trees were just olive trees and strawberries in March were completely normal.
The five motifs by Sonja Stich are a loving homage to a carefree time that is sadly over.
The motifs "Olive Nah" and "Olive Fern" bring another element to the edition. On the one hand, the freelensing studies of an olive grove address the ecological fragility of these trees and are therefore an integral part of the " Erdbeeren aus Spanien" edition.
On the other hand, they address the way in which the significance of this plant has changed in the course of the renewed escalation of the war in Palestine: The destruction of ancient olive trees in the West Bank is part of an atrocious warfare against the Palestinians, their culture and their habitat. Like the outer, ornamental edge of the kufiya, we adopt the olive leaf as a symbol of strength, resilience and endurance with these two motifs.
