DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART
FEMALE
SUMO WRESTLING
SUMO WRESTLING
WON HER WEIGHT CLASS AT THE 25TH SUMO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS,
DOMINATING THE WOMEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (65–73 KG) TO CLAIM THE TITLE.
2025–ongoing, Japan
This project explores the lives of female sumo wrestlers and how their
experiences reflect broader questions about feminism in Japan.
Sumo dates back to the 7th century and originated as a Shinto ritual.
The dohyo is considered sacred,
and women have traditionally been excluded.
While there is still no professional women’s sumo,
amateur participation is growing, with similar rules
but slight differences in dress and match length.
Women’s involvement reflects a gradual form of feminist change in Japan.
Although many wrestlers participate out of passion rather than activism,
their presence challenges tradition
and reveals ongoing tensions between progress and conservatism.
This project explores the lives of female sumo wrestlers and how their
experiences reflect broader questions about feminism in Japan.
Sumo dates back to the 7th century and originated as a Shinto ritual.
The dohyo is considered sacred,
and women have traditionally been excluded.
While there is still no professional women’s sumo,
amateur participation is growing, with similar rules
but slight differences in dress and match length.
Women’s involvement reflects a gradual form of feminist change in Japan.
Although many wrestlers participate out of passion rather than activism,
their presence challenges tradition
and reveals ongoing tensions between progress and conservatism.
PUNK*
YOUNG GERMAN PUNK
YOUNG GERMAN PUNK
2023–ongoing, Germany
“A cultural middle finger to the system”
“A cultural middle finger to the system”
“Punk is dead!” some people shout. But for others, punk is more alive than ever.
A conversation about identity, rebellion, and the quest to live freely within a subculture.
A conversation about identity, rebellion, and the quest to live freely within a subculture.
I photographed friends in the punk scene in Hamburg, Berlin, Sylt and Hanover.
For decades, these cities have been home to places where punk is lived,
celebrated, and discussed.
But the scene isn’t limited to big cities.
Punk is diverse—and can be found in autonomous youth centers, squats,
forests, or small rehearsal spaces in rural areas.
A: “Punk isn’t part of my identity. Punk allows me to live out my own identity; here,
I can be myself—while staying true to my political ideals.
I don’t find that in any other subculture or scene.”
“SOFT POWER”
ON THAI DIASPORA
ON THAI DIASPORA
2024–2025, Germany
Soft Power explores perspectives of the Thai diaspora in Germany,
focusing on first-generation Thai individuals as its protagonists.
It portrays the Thai community as an integral part of society,
shaping everyday cultural life through food,
traditions and social exchange rather than existing separately.
The project captures moments where Thai culture is recontextualized
through performances or familiar products,
highlighting continuity and change. Conversations
with those portrayed open a dialogue on identity,
memory and belonging.
The title reinterprets “soft power”,
traditionally understood as influence through non-military means,
as “gentle strength”,
a Thai cultural presence shaped by coexistence and exchange.
It brings together individuals with diverse life paths
whose experiences reflect the complexity of living between cultures.
focusing on first-generation Thai individuals as its protagonists.
It portrays the Thai community as an integral part of society,
shaping everyday cultural life through food,
traditions and social exchange rather than existing separately.
The project captures moments where Thai culture is recontextualized
through performances or familiar products,
highlighting continuity and change. Conversations
with those portrayed open a dialogue on identity,
memory and belonging.
The title reinterprets “soft power”,
traditionally understood as influence through non-military means,
as “gentle strength”,
a Thai cultural presence shaped by coexistence and exchange.
It brings together individuals with diverse life paths
whose experiences reflect the complexity of living between cultures.
SEXY?!.
HOW DO YOU FEEL SEXY?!.
“Sexy?!.” (2023–ongoing)
In the documentary portrait series “Sexy?!.”,
I explore what the term “sexy” means for the individuals portrayed, working collaboratively with them.
The participants took the photos themselves using a remote trigger, sometimes without me in the room, to create an undisturbed atmosphere.
Images were made in personal spaces—apartments, kitchens, living rooms, or parks—chosen by the protagonists.
A key element is the bed sheet, symbolizing intimacy and sexuality.
The series highlights the diversity of “sexy” and its individual interpretations.
In the documentary portrait series “Sexy?!.”,
I explore what the term “sexy” means for the individuals portrayed, working collaboratively with them.
The participants took the photos themselves using a remote trigger, sometimes without me in the room, to create an undisturbed atmosphere.
Images were made in personal spaces—apartments, kitchens, living rooms, or parks—chosen by the protagonists.
A key element is the bed sheet, symbolizing intimacy and sexuality.
The series highlights the diversity of “sexy” and its individual interpretations.
Pha Croissant
Hello everyone, welcome, and thank you for visiting my page! I am Pha, a German-Thai documentary photographer and artist, born in 2001 in Heidelberg, Germany. Since 2022, I have been studying Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography in Hannover.
My work focuses on subcultures, diasporic perspectives, and collaborative photography. I place strong emphasis on participatory approaches, actively involving the people I photograph in the creative process.
Currently, I am based in Japan.
If you would like to book me for a shoot or have any questions, feel free to get in touch via email or Instagram. Thank you!
my instagram:
@phasphanatsie
write me an E-mail here:
phacroissant(at)gmx(dot)de
Dummy Award shortlist
”Soft power“ book
2026
Solo Shows
”Soft power“
TANKE, Hannover
2025
Group exhibition
Fotobus Society
”what happens in the meantime” - “Sexy?!.”
exhibition in public spaces Hannover, Germany
2025