What forms and practices of care shape our everyday lives and how can they be made visible? We explored this question in the seminar ‘Politics of Care: Photographic Approaches’ in the study program social and cultural anthropology (B.A.) at the University of Bayreuth. The photo exhibition Facing Care. Hidden Scenes of Looking After shows the results of their field research, which combines ethnographic, visual, and autobiographical approaches.

Photographs and excerpts from photo elicitation interviews offer insights into everyday, political, and personal dimensions of care: from self-care and child care to social support in times of crisis to transnational migration and hidden moments of institutionalised nursing care. The students examine how care practices look, feel and are negotiated in everyday life.

Excerpts from the interviews reveal hidden narratives and emotional worlds. They show how care emerges through a dynamic – and often conflictual – interplay of social relationships, expectations and negotiations. It is omnipresent, ambivalent and political; it can be found in the smallest details and extends across great distances and family histories. The photo exhibition offers a deep insight into hidden scenes and intimate moments of care. It invites you to take a closer look.