Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler, with their photographic work, their teaching, and their co-founding of the renowned Ostkreuz photographers' agency and the Ostkreuz School in Berlin, are among the most important figures in German photography.
After studying at the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts, they each pursued their photographic careers independently, each with different focuses.
In 2008, they decided to photograph under a single authorship. In their collaborative long-term projects, they address current political, social, and personal conditions.