Instantdreams Landscape Photography

Forest Dark (Strange Love) - 2003 60x189cm, Edition of 5 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a 35mm film. Signature label and certificate. Not mounted. A piece of ...

Green Chair (29 Palms, CA) - 1999 Edition of 10, 58x56cm, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper not mounted, based on the Polaroid Art...

Forest Dark (Strange Love) - 2003 60x189cm, Edition of 5 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a 35mm film. Signature label and certificate. Not mounted. “I never re...

Lost Love (The Princess and her Lover) - 2008 40x50cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory #7054. Not mou...

Vanishing Point (The Princess and her Lover) part of the 29 Palms, CA project - 2010 Edition of 1/5, 125x123cm. Analog C-Print, hand printed by the artist and based on a Polaroid....

April is the Cruelest Month - The Getaway (The Last Picture Show) - 1999 20x20cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Artist inventory N...

Dream Scene on Salt Lake - 2007 from the 29 Palms, CA project 48x47cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Artist Inventory #11...

Dream Scene on Salt Lake - 2007 from the 29 Palms, CA project 50x65cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Artist Inventory #96...

Conception (Till Death do us Part) - 2005 40x40cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory #9157. Not mounted. Stefanie Schneider's photographs evoke scintillating moments suspended between daydreams and waking reality. Each scene, captured in the southwestern United States, radiates a surreal enchantment. The artist's role appears minimal yet pivotal, providing the decisive impulse that sets the imagery into motion. The figures in her photographs remain as elusive as the motivations behind their actions, and the narratives woven through her sequences are tantalizingly open to interpretation. Atmospheric disturbances in Schneider's work emerge as the result of a deliberate narrative arrangement, compelling viewers to navigate between visual mementos and the gaps in memory they conjure. Yet, her artistry is no less purposeful in its engagement with medium. Despite the inherent unpredictability of expired Polaroid film, Schneider wields it with calculated intent. The photo-chemical self-developing process, altered by age and decay, transforms the initial exposure into something alien yet mesmerizing. This dysfunction is a cornerstone of MIND SCREEN, a multi-part work that explores the fragility of reality, authenticity, and comprehension. Schneider juxtaposes this brittleness with a magical realism steeped in chimeras, crafting dreamlike sequences that resist definitive narratives. She entrusts viewers with the responsibility of piecing together presumed storylines, refusing to offer a manual for interpretation. Instead, her work draws us into a realm where the unreal reigns—shimmering scenes that evoke the mirage of a road movie, a moment of violence, or a tragic self-sacrifice. Film genres are invoked and subverted in a single breath: Paris, Texas by Wim Wenders is reimagined through a rose-tinted lens, Thelma...

On the Way to Big Sur (The Last Picture Show) - 2000 50x49cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Artist inventory number: 969. ...

Blue Iceland - 2017 20 x 30 cm, Edition 1/10. Archival Color print on Pearl photo paper, based on the original Polaroid. Signed on the back with Certificate. Not mounted. Whethe...

Dreamscape, diptych (29 Palms, CA) - 2005 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by Snap Collective, 2024. 2...

Under Water (The Girl Behind the White Picket Fence) - 2013 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by Snap Col...

Enchanted (Dream Scene on Salt Lake), triptych - from the 29 Palms, CA Project - 2009 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardco...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1326. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1303. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1302. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1304. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1329. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 23477. ...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1329. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1328. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1308. N...

Untitled (Into the Sun) - 2001 48x47cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 1305. N...

Indian Summer (The Last Picture Show) - 2004 20x20cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Artist Inventory No. 459. Not mounted. Ste...

Wonder Valley (Sidewinder) - 2005 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by Snap Collective, 2024. 20x30cm, ...

Dreamscape, diptych (29 Palms, CA) - 2005 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by Snap Collective, 2024. 2...

The Existence Is Disintegrating into the Heat of the Desert Sirocco (The Girl Behind the White Picket Fence) - 2015 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dr...

For What I’ve Lost (The Girl Behind the White Picket Fence) - 2013 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by S...

Under Water (The Girl Behind the White Picket Fence) - 2013 Including Stefanie Schneider's new monograph "A Half Forgotten Dream" signed. 192 pages, hardcover, published by Snap Col...

Renée's Dream - The Boys (Days of Heaven) - 2007 40x48cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. ...

Into the Sun (Stranger than Paradise) - 2008 20x20cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Invent...

Henry watching Athena Dance (Stay) III - with Ryan Gosling, 2006, 50x50cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inve...

Mulholland Drive - 2016 Edition 1/7. 40x60cm. Archival Color Print on Pearl photo paper, based on the Polaroid. Signed on the back with Certificate. Not mounted. The last 2 ...

Carpe diem, 2017, Edition 4/7, 2 APs 24x30cm Digital C-print, based on a Polaroid, Not mounted. Signed on the back and with certificate. Artist inventory PL2017-154 Kirsten Thys ...

Palm Springs E-Type (Californication) - 2021 20x20cm. Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Invento...

Leaving (Strange Love) - 2005 20x30cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a 35mm film. Signature label and certificate. Not mounted. Stefanie Schneid...

Childhood Memories (Paris) - 1995 Edition of 5, 50x60cm including white borders. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist and based on a Polaroid, Signature label and Certific...

Guadalupe (The Last Picture Show) - 2005 38x37cm, Edition 1/5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Crystal Paper, based on the Polaroid. Mounted on Alumi...

Leaving (Strange Love) - 2005 20x30cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a 35mm film. Signature label and certificate. Not mounted. Stefanie Schneid...

Indian Summer III (The Last Picture Show) - 2005 20x20cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print print, based on the Polaroid, Certificate and Signature label Artist Inventory No 892. Not mounted. Stefanie Schneider - Artist Statement Desolation and solitude are two words that come to mind when describing my Polaroid photographs. Another is the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi—the art of finding beauty in imperfection and transience. The simplicity of “flawed beauty” emerges from the expired film I use, reflecting themes of love and loneliness. My work is a meditation on impermanence, an acceptance of a worldview that has no return. The shiny, idealized lens through which we once saw the world is crumbling—and has been for some time. What was once labeled blurry, broken, or botched now stands as a testament to the beauty of imperfection. For some, this is a seismic shift: acknowledging that reality is cracked, fragmented, and imperfect. Yet, even in this age when the cracks are impossible to ignore, acceptance remains elusive. But isn’t that unsettling? To admit that the dream is decaying, transforming into something closer to a nightmare? Denial feels safer than facing the truth of ruin. It’s human nature to resist the notion of finitude, the idea that all things—ourselves, even God—have their time and fade away. Yet this acknowledgment of impermanence is at the core of my work. I began my journey in photography before the digital revolution, before the era of Instagram, in a time when analog film demanded a different kind of mindfulness. With Polaroid, every shot is a commitment—a single, unrepeatable moment. There is no endless editing, no post-production safety net. This analog process became my way of celebrating imperfection and reconnecting with the raw, unpolished world, where flaws are not hidden but embraced. Polaroid film, with its candy-like color palette and unpredictable blemishes, felt like an extension of my vision. The quirks and distortions of expired film brought me a sense of inner peace, mirroring the imperfections in life itself. It was liberating—a visual language that honored the “perfectly imperfect” and invited others to see their own scars as remarkable. There are two ways to view the world: through a lens that embraces imperfection or one that denies it. But let me warn you—once you open your eyes to the beauty of imperfection, there’s no turning back. You step into a twilight zone of understanding, where the polished, artificial perfection of the past loses its appeal. My creative process hinges on allowing space and time for magic to manifest—capturing moments of serendipity, often born from turbulence and imbalance. It’s the interplay of chaos and stillness that allows unknown forces to shape a moment. To me, this is the essence of art: a dialogue between the inner self and the external world, where rules dissolve, and emotions take precedence. Dreams are the foundation of my work. They connect us to our subconscious, bridging the space between personal vision and shared experience. My photographs invite you to step into these dreamscapes, to become part of the story. Nostalgia, emotion, and instinct—spiced with a hint of desire—are the ingredients of my art. Ultimately, my work is about liberation: freeing ourselves from the tyranny of perfection, honoring the beauty in the transient and the flawed, and finding a space where it’s not just permissible—but essential—to simply be. Stefanie Schneider received her MFA in Communication Design at the Folkwang Schule Essen, Germany. Her work has been shown at the Museum for Photography, Braunschweig, Museum für Kommunikation, Berlin, the Institut für Neue Medien, Frankfurt, the Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden, Kunstverein Bielefeld, Museum für Moderne Kunst Passau, Les Rencontres d'Arles, Foto -Triennale Esslingen., Bombay Beach Biennale 2018 / 2019. “It was Stefanie Schneider, who inspired me to start the company THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT after seeing her work, which seems to achieve the possible from the impossible, creating the finest of art out of the most basic of mediums and materials. Indeed, after that one day, I was so impressed with her photography that I realized Polaroid film could not be allowed to disappear. Being at the precise moment in time where the world was about to lose Polaroid, I seized the moment and have put all my efforts and passion into saving Polaroid film. For that, I thank Stefanie Schneider almost exclusively, who played a bigger role than anyone in saving this American symbol of photography.” –Florian Kaps, March 8th 2010 (“Doc” Dr. Florian Kaps, founder of “The Impossible Project”) Exhibitions Selected (selected) 2018 Participation Bombay Beach Biennale, Bombay Beach, USA (G) March Available to All, Rough Play Projects - Site Specific, Joshou Tree, USA (G) curated by Deborah Martin with Adam Berg, Doron Gazit, Kellan Barnebey, Chris Sanchez, Aili Schmelzt 2017 BLICKFELD Analoge Fotografie, Kommunale Galerie Steglitz-Zehlendorf (G) (catalog), (upcoming)
 Rosegallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica (G) Magie des Moments, Kunstverein Bad Homburg Artlantis, Bad Homburg (G) 2016 
Instantdreams, Instantdreams Gallery, Berlin 

(S) 2015
 Desert Voices, De Re Gallery, Los Angeles (G) with Pamela Littky The Ballery in Heat, The Ballery, Berlin (G) 
Blue Nudes, De Re Gallery, Los Angeles (G) 

 2014

 Summer Show, Galerie Catherine et André Hug, Paris, France (G) 6 Finalists, Saatchi Gallery London (G) 
Instantdreams, De Re Gallery, Los Angeles (S)
Grand Opening, De Re Gallery, Los Angeles (G) with Banksy, Andy Warhol, Alison Bignon, Sophie Dickens, Victor Gingembre and others
 2013 
Heather's Dream, Short, nominated for the German Short Film Award 2013 (Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis)
Images For Images (Artists fir Tichy), GASK - Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region,  Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, (G) with Richard Prince, Nan Golding, Shirana Shahbazi, Sophie Calle, Martin Kippenberger, Arnulf Rainer, Thomas Ruff, Katharina Grosse, Jonathan Meese & others (catalog) 
The Girl behind the White Picket Fence, Galerie Catherine et André Hug, Paris, France (S)
 Heather's Dream, Short, German Competition Short Film Festival Oberhausen 
Multimedia Presentation with Artist Stefanie Schneider, Palms Springs Art Museum, Annenberg Theater
 The Polaroid Years: Instant Photography and Experimentation, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, (G) with Ansel Adams, Bruce Charlesworth...

Untitled (Cowboys and Angels), 2005 50x39cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. artist Inventory No. 91...

Untitled (Cowboys and Angels), 2005 50x39cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. artist Inventory No. 91...

Palm Springs Palm Trees (Californication) - 2021 50x50cm. Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory Number 23820. Not mounted. Schneider harnesses the unpredictable chemical mutations of expired Polaroid film, where bursts of color erupt across the surface, destabilizing the photograph's traditional allegiance to reality. These vivid distortions draw her characters into ethereal, trance-like dreamscapes. Like fleeting sequences from a vintage road movie, Schneider’s images shimmer with a transitory quality, dissolving before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. Their ephemeral essence is conveyed through subtle gestures and enigmatic motives. Refusing to yield to the constraints of reality, Schneider’s work keeps alive a delicate interplay of dream, desire, fact, and fiction, blurring the boundaries between them with poetic ambiguity. Stefanie Schneider’s work echoes the heart of American art, channeling the cinematic nostalgia of Ed Ruscha’s roadscapes, the stark sensuality of Georgia O’Keeffe’s deserts, and the haunting solitude of Edward Hopper’s paintings...

The Girl V (The Girl behind the White Picket Fence) 2013, 125x125cm, Edition 2/5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Archive Crystal Paper, matte surface, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory # 115704.02. Not Mounted. Schneider harnesses the unpredictable chemical mutations of expired Polaroid film, where bursts of color erupt across the surface, destabilizing the photograph's traditional allegiance to reality. These vivid distortions draw her characters into ethereal, trance-like dreamscapes. Like fleeting sequences from a vintage road movie, Schneider’s images shimmer with a transitory quality, dissolving before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. Their ephemeral essence is conveyed through subtle gestures and enigmatic motives. Refusing to yield to the constraints of reality, Schneider’s work keeps alive a delicate interplay of dream, desire, fact, and fiction, blurring the boundaries between them with poetic ambiguity. Stefanie Schneider’s work echoes the heart of American art, channeling the cinematic nostalgia of Ed Ruscha’s roadscapes, the stark sensuality of Georgia O’Keeffe’s deserts, and the haunting solitude of Edward Hopper’s paintings...

A Vision you can't Capture (29 Palms, CA) - 2007 125x172cm, Edition 2/5, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, based on the Polaroid, signature label and certificate, artist inventory number: 4048. Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Protection. Schneider harnesses the unpredictable chemical mutations of expired Polaroid film, where bursts of color erupt across the surface, destabilizing the photograph's traditional allegiance to reality. These vivid distortions draw her characters into ethereal, trance-like dreamscapes. Like fleeting sequences from a vintage road movie, Schneider’s images shimmer with a transitory quality, dissolving before any definitive conclusions can be drawn. Their ephemeral essence is conveyed through subtle gestures and enigmatic motives. Refusing to yield to the constraints of reality, Schneider’s work keeps alive a delicate interplay of dream, desire, fact, and fiction, blurring the boundaries between them with poetic ambiguity. Stefanie Schneider’s work echoes the heart of American art, channeling the cinematic nostalgia of Ed Ruscha’s roadscapes, the stark sensuality of Georgia O’Keeffe’s deserts, and the haunting solitude of Edward Hopper...

Thunderbird Motel (The Last Picture Show) Edition 8/10, 20x20cm, 2005, digital C-Print, based on an expired Polaroid Signature label and Certificate, Artist inventory 1110.16 not mou...

'Yucca Skies' Edition 1/10, 20x30cm, 2017, Archival Pigment Print on Velvet Watercolor Paper, 310gsm, Bright White, Acid Free, Signature label and Certificate. Published in Tao Rusp...

Stefanie Schneider's Minis Gasoline I (Stranger than Paradise), 1999 Signed and signature brand on verso. Lambda digital Color Photographs based on a Polaroid. Sandwiched in between...

Harbor Building, LA - 1999 20x20cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. artist Inventory No. 18361. No...

Planes II - 2008 40x50cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory #4651. Not mounted. ...

'Mad Max II' (Burning Man) Edition 2/10, 20x30cm, 2016, Color-Print, printed on Velvet Watercolor, 310gsm, Bright White, Acid Free, Signature label and Certificate. unmounted Abou...

Reflection of my Mind (Stage of Consciousness) - 2007 Including Stefanie Schneider's signed monograph 'Instantdreams'. 64 pages, hardcover, published by Avenso, 2014. ISBN 978-3-93...

Woman in Malibu II (Stranger than Paradise) - 1999 20x20cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid Certificate and Signature label, artist Inventory No. 315_2.26 No...

Airstream Trailers (American Depression) - 2017 20x24cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Invent...

Drive-In (American Depression) - 2017 20x20cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory No. 20...

Gasoline II (Stranger than Paradise) 1999 - 3 pieces, each 50x50cm, installed 50x170cm including gaps. sold out Edition of 150, Artist Proof 4/5. Archival C-Prints, based on 3 Po...

Planes II - 2008 40x50cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory #4651. Not mounted. ...

Palm Springs Wabi-Sabi (Californication) - 2021 20x20cm. Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist In...

'Enchanted' (Dream Scene on Salt Lake), triptych, from the 29 Palms, CA Project Edition 4/10. Each 20x20cm, together 20x70cm (installed). 3 Archivall C-Prints, based on 3 SX-70 Po...