KÖTOKU-IN, JAPAN - 52“ x 65,4“ - Limited Edition of 5 Photograph

My photographic stagings explore nature, time, and spirituality. I work with these three factors in my photographic practice and draw my inspiration from them. Everything in the material world is created, then remains for a while and will eventually vanish again. The greatest way to observe these three manifestations is in nature. Philosophically this subject is summarized in the Vedic scriptures under the term Guna. For me, artistic inspiration has utmost significance and has a great influence on my creative processes. Therefore, I stage my motives with the help of light and colors, and above all with the connecting tool of time. Time cannot be influenced, it is quasi autonomous, incorruptible and at the same time a connecting element. On my first trip to India in 2004, the following statement from a holy scripture inspired me to create works such as Vibrations, Spiritual Stairs, Dimension Door: “To show them special mercy, I, who dwell in their hearts, destroy with the shining torch of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” I'm working and living in Berlin. Before in 2002 I finished a professional training as a photographer I was active in the graffiti scene. I won renowned photo prizes and got a lot attention with my early fire drawings, which I written into nightscapes like self-portraits, as well as landscape portraits reflecting on human and nature as phenotypes. 2013 I have shown my work „Coming back from Yamuna River“ to 55th Venice Biennale. 2017 I had two big museum shows mainly concentrated on my photographs done in India. India affected me, my workflow and made me think about human life.