Swiss-American photographer Vera Mercer (b. 1936 in Berlin) initially trained as a dancer before turning to photography, focusing on objects, portraits, and neo-baroque still lifes. Her detailed still lifes, exhibited internationally, masterfully showcase natural and cultural objects. For this exhibition at ZAK, Vera Mercer granted photography historian and journalist Jens Pepper access to her extensive archive in Omaha in 2024. As a result, numerous early portraits were scanned and prepared for the exhibition.