Backhaus (born in Germany 1970) studied photography in Paris, where she met GisA]le Freund. Since 1995 she works as a freelancer and artist in New York. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions, including the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin. She is represented by Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York and The Photographers' Gallery, London.