Biographie
Theresa Wißmann (born 1983) is a German photographer who is based in Berlin. She specialises in conceptual and documentary projects. After studying literature, art, and media studies, she began focusing on photography at postgraduate level, specialising in art and art technology. Having honed her storytelling skills as a writer for several years, she turned to photography as a storytelling medium, graduating from the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin in September 2025.
Présentation
Although originating in South America, the potato is, peculiarly, closely linked to German identity. Inconspicuous, misshapen, and underestimated, solanum tuberosum interested me for these very qualities.
So I set out to research this tuber, and to put it in the frame.
Over the course of one year, I collected beetles from its leaves, buried rolls of film in its soil, planted my own patch of potatoes, and visited the fastest peeler in the country. I have repeatedly boiled, fried, and eaten potatoes.
My investigation took me to the harvester, laboratory, gene bank, greenhouse, and barn – but also to the georesearch centre and phytopathological collection, a king's grave, and my home village.
I now realise the potato has not only shaped world history, it also has great plans for the future and will – perhaps, perhaps – one day even thrive on Mars.