A KALTBLUT exclusive. Photography and art direction by Nicolas Winterstein. Assistant is Leith Schwedler. Styling and makeup by Venus Superstar & Mathilde. The models are Pearl, Venus Superstar and Mathilde.
A frozen moment between performance and paranoia. Obscure Observation captures figures suspended in strange rituals, domestic absurdities and emotionally charged spaces, constructed yet strangely familiar. The photographs move through controlled poses and accidental gestures, creating a tension between being seen and being watched.
The series reflects an instinctive response to insecurity and the lingering sense of exposure in intimate or mundane spaces. Faces become masks, postures become symbols. Fragile but defiant.
There’s a sense of alienation threaded through every frame, yet also humour, decoration, and even elegance. These are not scenes from dreams, but realities subtly twisted. A bath becomes a stage, a bedroom turns into a theatre. Through this surreal, self-conscious lens, the work speaks to emotional estrangement and the spectacle of identity, especially when no one’s watching. Or when they are.
Photographer/Director: Nicolas Winterstein / nicolaswinterstein.com / @nicowintt
Assistant: Leith Schwedler / @leith_schwedler
MUA/Styling: Venus Superstar / @venusuperstar & Mathilde / @g1rlsr1tuals
Models: Venus Superstar / @venusuperstar
Pearl / @perleindermuschel
Mathilde / @g1rlsr1tuals
Nicolas Winterstein is a photographer whose work is defined by an experimental and conceptual approach. With clean, minimalist compositions, he places bodies, spaces, and objects in tense relationships. His photography challenges traditional aesthetics and explores the interplay between intimacy and distance.
By utilizing minimalist spaces and everyday objects, he creates a stage where bodies become objects and objects take on narrative roles. Light and perspective serve as tools to reframe familiar scenes in a fresh, often provocative context.
In his opinion, everything looks better when you pretend it wasn’t meant to be seen.
