Project Title: Photographic art project about the Unterbilk district in Düsseldorf, Germany
Project launch: November 2025
Project status: active
About the Bilk district
Bilk is one of the oldest settled areas of Düsseldorf and was first mentioned in the 8th century. What began as a small village south of the early town center grew into a rapidly developing urban area in the 19th century. Unterbilk emerged during this time as its own neighborhood, shaped by workers’ housing, the new railway connection, and its proximity to Düsseldorf’s harbor on the Rhine River.
Geographically, Unterbilk is centrally located in the southwestern part of the city: it borders the neighborhoods of Friedrichstadt and Carlstadt to the north, the harbor district and the Rhine riverfront to the east, and today’s Bilk to the south and southwest. The area is densely built and still shows a mix of historic residential buildings, modern architecture, and the extensively redeveloped harbor/media district. This gives Underbilk a lively, urban character where old city structure and contemporary design appear directly side by side.
About the project
The idea originated from the thought that the diversity of this neighborhood offers an exciting foundation for a photographic project. I went to school in Unterbilk, spent parts of my childhood and youth there, and therefore feel a special connection to the area.
As in almost every city, the different neighborhoods here each have their own atmosphere and unique character, shaped by history, architecture, and above all, by the people. This is naturally true for Unterbilk as well.
However, this project is not meant to be a traditional neighborhood portrait that collects beautiful images of historic buildings, modern architecture, grand streets, or popular cafés. There are already many of those. For good reason, as Unterbilk has a lot to offer.
Instead, in this project, I want to develop photographic works that reflect my personal response to this neighborhood. I want to dig a little deeper: it’s about very personal perspectives and many things that typical neighborhood portraits don’t show.
Here you see a curated selection of 15 images. It does not offer comprehensive documentation but rather a focused, atmospheric approach to Unterbilk and my current position as a contemporary photographer.
