Women's wrestling events are hardly commonplace in Bamberg, Germany, and exhibitions by young female photographers are equally rare on the cultural calendar. Photographer Jana Margarete Schuler has brought both unusual events to the historic cathedral city with her powerful new exhibition.
The 32-year-old Bamberg-based photographer is currently displaying her work at the Kesselhaus Art Space under the title 'Between Blood and Glitter,' featuring images of female wrestlers from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. This long-term project spanning more than two years has seen Schuler repeatedly accompanying these Luchadoras – a term derived from the Mexican wrestling tradition known as 'Lucha Libre.' She documented not only their fights but also their lives outside the ring, capturing the reality of women living in one of the world's most dangerous cities, located directly on the U.S.-Mexico border where violence and femicides have become normalized.
'It's deeply troubling,' says Jana Margarete Schuler, who visited the border city three times over the past two and a half years, experiencing firsthand the dangers that particularly affect women. Simply going outside alone is unthinkable, and shopping independently is impossible. According to Schuler, the Luchadoras resist this oppression through wrestling, using the sport as their form of resistance. They ignore the constraints that life there imposes on them and demand respect and equal rights.
Schuler has built genuine relationships with these women, rather than simply taking snapshots in passing – a connection that's evident in her photographs. One striking close-up shows a woman known by her ring name Universis, wearing her red wrestling mask while holding her young daughter and tenderly kissing her forehead. Another image captures her on the street where she lives, directly at the Mexican-American border. Schuler explains that the area is characterized by violence, drugs, and the constant flow of people seeking their fortune in the United States.
Universis has used Lucha Libre to break free from the cycle of violence and drugs, Schuler recounts. Through wrestling, she gained more self-confidence, completed her education, and is now studying. Then there's Sayuri, the youngest at just 15 years old when photographed, grinning cheerfully under her mask and showing off her braces.
The Kesselhaus, a former heating facility of an old hospital, provides the perfect exhibition space for these photographs with its somewhat worn industrial charm in the otherwise pristine cathedral city. Fifty images, some measuring 11.5 by 8.2 feet, display a world that would likely seem very foreign to most visitors. Schuler enlisted curator Wolfgang Zurborn, who expertly staged the photos in the old utilitarian building.
The project faced initial skepticism. 'Someone interested in art wouldn't be interested in wrestling' was a sentiment she repeatedly encountered, the photographer recalls. However, the combination has clearly worked. The Kesselhaus was rarely as packed as during the opening weekend, and the audience was rarely so diverse. Real wrestling matches were also featured, with female professionals from several countries performing in a specially constructed ring, thrilling many spectators while visibly overwhelming others.
Jana Margarete Schuler identifies as a documentary photographer. 'I don't want to keep my distance,' she says. Street photography – capturing strangers on the street – isn't her forte. She seeks connection with her subjects, who are often, though not exclusively, women. 'Photography is male-dominated,' Schuler notes, which partly draws her to themes 'that concern me as a woman.'
Niche topics fascinate her, as she believes people are 'incredibly fascinating beings.' For SZ Magazine, she photographed Julia and Ingmar, who had a daughter together despite never being a couple and each having other partners. She chose this intimate topic because the two wanted to make their story public to encourage others. Her work, Schuler emphasizes, should also benefit those she photographs.
Schuler gained access to the Luchadoras in Mexico through Kathrin Zeiske, a German journalist who has been traveling between Bonn and Ciudad Juárez for more than ten years. Zeiske is herself a Luchadora, performing in the ring as Miss Kath. In this capacity, she met her partner, known by the stage name Pagano, one of Mexico's and the world's most famous wrestlers. She moved to Ciudad Juárez for him and introduced Schuler to the circle of Luchadoras.
'I wanted to photograph the women not just during fights, but also tell their life stories,' Schuler explains. This proved challenging, as private visits from strangers are uncommon, especially since the women often live in cramped conditions. 'It took time for them to open up,' the 32-year-old says. Only after the women saw themselves in Schuler's fight photographs did they agree to private portraits.
Originally, Jana Margarete Schuler wanted to become a singer, a dream she held since elementary school – and she did become one. As Jana Türlich, she tours with her band. Though interested in photography as a teenager, she chose something seemingly more stable after graduating: media management. She earned money as a wedding photographer and event moderator, performed street music, and eventually returned to documentary photography, beginning a second degree in Hannover.
'Nobody told me you could be a freelance photographer,' she says with a laugh. Now she has embarked on the path she long wanted to take. Her success has been notable, though 'my degree got somewhat sidelined,' she admits, with graduation now scheduled for next semester. She photographs for major magazines including Zeit, Stern, and SZ Magazine. While based in Bamberg, her reportage work takes her around the world.
The Bamberg exhibition marks her first solo show, with more planned to follow. In March – opening on International Women's Day, March 8 – the exhibition will also be shown in Mexico at a gallery in Ciudad Juárez. There too, Jana Margarete Schuler aims to build bridges. 'The Luchadoras would never normally go to this gallery,' she says. 'Now they have a reason.'
The exhibition 'Between Blood and Glitter' runs until September 7 at the Kesselhaus Art Space, located at Untere Sandstraße 42, Bamberg. Opening hours are Friday 3-7 PM, and Saturday-Sunday 1-7 PM. Jana Margarete Schuler offers guided tours on September 22 and 29 at 6 PM, and September 23 at 3 PM. A reading with Kathrin Zeiske takes place August 31 at 8 PM, with a closing event scheduled for September 6 at 7 PM.
