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WOLFGANGMUELLERPHOTOGRAPHY
last update 03|06
PROJECTS, PORTRAITS, PUBLICATIONS, PERSONAL, CONTACT, IMPRESSUM, OSTKREUZ
PROJECTS: "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg", "Karat. Portraits", "germany.ru", "Paradise Now!", "Bridge across the river Amur", "Sanya", "Odessa homeless", "A partir de 10 France", "outside|inside"
PUBLICATIONS: editorial, books, exhibitions
PERSONAL: clients|awards, exhibitions, vita
CONTACT: Wolfgang Mueller, Travestrasse 4, 10247 Berlin, Germany, Phone: +49[0]30-2757 1531, Mobil: +49[0]171-7845523, Fax: +49[0]30-2757 4254
OSTKREUZ: Agency of Photographer GmbH, Greifswalder Strasse 21, 610405 Berlin, Germany, Phone: +49[0]30-4737 3930
IMPRESSUM: responsible for content: Wolfgang Mueller, Steuernummer: 31|449|69402 Finanzamt Friedrichshain|Prenzlbg, copyright © 2006 W.Mueller all rights reserved
"Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg"
Allthough, after years of change and decline, St. Petersburgs historic center once more emanates metropolitan splendour, one just has to go to the first or second backyard off central Nevskij Prospect to find staircases littered with syringes and to enter a diffrent world. Stories of children and youths are told who live often on roofs and attics, five or six floors above the citiys streets where they hope to find a kind of home. Here they sleep, here they can take drugs without being apprehended, and here, too, they make money from prostitution.Karat is the brand name of a shoe polish containing solvents that many of them inhale.
"Karat. Portraits"
Parallely to the "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" documentary pictures this portrait series about the same children and teenagers between homelessness, drug use and prostitution came into beeing. With the diffrence, that by the portrait view they get exempted from an apparently clearly describing environment. The outward appearance of many faces gives a hint to an extraordinary situation of life, instead of this the faces keep an ambiguity, which prevents them from beeing assigned rashly. "Karat" is the brand name of a shoe polish, which is used by a lot of kids for sniffing, because it's containing solvents. But only traces refer to the topic, which is given by the title. As well the faces, jackets and sweaters, which are soiled by the polish as the views, which are looking through the spectator can give an idea of the background situation of the kids. But what about the kids and teenagers, who because of their outside appearance don't seem to fit into that context? Could that mean that they are earning their living by prostitution? Questions, which are not answered by the pictures and which finally has to decide the spectator.
"germany.ru"
Legal immigration to Germany and a German passport a practically a guarantee for a good start in the new country, but discrimination forces Russian migrants into a recess within society. The original homeland, Russian culture and language take on a new meaning; the migrants everyday life takes place fot the most part within their own community.
"Paradise Now!"
In the meantime social change also has arrived in Siberia. A 3-months trip runs through southern Siberia, from Altay and Buriatya up to Sachalin. There the photographer met school boys and girls, students, young mothers, prostitutes and drug addicts, punk musicians and models. Youth is the most obvious carrier of change. Refering outfit and life-style they resemble western juveniles of the same age and seem to have the same kind of dreams. Instead of this their feeling of life doesnt seem to be carried by the promise of a new life.The world of youth is shining infront of a decaying postsocialist background. In this process the old elites apart from the ethnic-national flags, under which they now are assembling hardly have changed. The society is divided. Mainly in the urban areas a push of modernisation takes place, whilst in the country side the arisen social vacuum is filled by the remembrance to presocialist values and the process of a reethnization. Here Addidas-sneakers and shamanistic rites meet in an immediate neighbourhood.[2004]
"Bridge across the river Amur"
In compare to former times the levels of wealth between Russia and China have changed. China has become a big economic power with increasing growth rates, whilst Russian economy except a few metropolis cities is still basing on the export of raw materials. The world market goods, which mainly come from the south of China, are pushing onto the russian market. One of the biggest crossing points for chinese goods to fareastern Russia is the ferryboat connections across the Amur from Hei-He to Blagoveshensk. Because of a special law, which allows Russian tourists of the border region to bring back goods until 50 kg from China visa- and duty-free, at present chinese goods are mainly passing the borderline by traders, who rent tourists each carrying a 50 kg bag.But also chinese migrants are coming across the Amur and shape the image of the russian town. Businessmen and traders as well as workers, who are mainly employed in the construction sites. Also chinese tourists are visiting the casinos of Blagoveshensk, because games of fortune are forbidden in China. The planned bridge over the Amur shall give the interchange between both countries a new dynamic. The fear, to become the looser of that interchange find its expression in racist attitudes up to attacks on immigrants. [2005]
"Sanya"
Sanya. Streetchild and pimp from OdessaThe subject of homelessness has no fix borders. It has to do with the subject of drugs, prostitution as well as streetchidren. And finally all those topics are overlapping. I met to Sanya and his friend Wowa in the house of an aid organisation. Sanya is 10 years old, but at my inquiry he passes himself off as 16 years old. He is the pimp of two 12 years old girls. One of them at present lies in hospital and the other is well advan-ced in pregnancy. [Odessa, 1998]
"Odessa homeless"
A first refuge for a lot of homeless people in Odessa ist the house of the aid organisation The Way Home, which has been founded in 1997.In the first year of their activity they have registered more than 1500 homeless people and the number of registrations is further increasing. As a result of the registrations you can have a view to the structure of the homelessness of the city. Nearly the half of all of the homeless people are former prisoners, who automatically have lost their formerly allocated flats. A further big part simply had to sell the in the meantime privatized flats. Other registrated people meanwhile had lost theit flats as a result of conflicts inside their own families. Other family members had put them onto the streets and had canceled their registration. The fight for goods gets harder. Numbers of cases, when people loose their flats due to cheatings are increasing. And finally in the meantime also civil war refugees and migrants from other GUS states are belonging to the group of homeless people in Odessa.The complete number of homeless people because of the southern location of the city inside the Ukraine is increasing a lot in the cold half of the year. Whilst in spring and summertime many of them are still finding employment in the country side, during the second half of the year around 5000 homeless people are looking for a shelter in the [1998]
"A partir de 10 France"
Paris. Location a partir de 10 FrancsPassing through the Paris 18th arrondissement [1997-99]
"outside|inside"
Outside-Inside. St. Petersburg
The time of the Perestroyka- and Postperestroyka years are marked by radical changes. Whilst for a lot of people the break down of a society system is accompanied by descent and impoverishment, for others this situation contains completely new possibilities. Pictures of the marks of the decline in the cityscape are contrasting with those of artist happenings on roofs as in studio flats.[1997]
PUBLICATIONS:
editorial:
Chrismon 04|2006, D/ la Repubblica delle Donne 02|2006, Daimler Chrysler environment report 2004, Frankfurter Rundschau Magazine, Das Magazin|Tagesanzeiger CH, Neon, SCHWARZWEISS, European Photography Art-Magazine, Allegra|Hamburg, bella|Hamburg, D -la Repubblica delle Donne|Milan, DaimlerChrysler-Umweltbericht|Stuttgart, Das Magazin|Zurich, Die Zeit|Hamburg, El Semanal|Madrid, European Photography|Goettingen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau Magazin, Geolino|Hamburg, HotShoe|London, Il Fotografo|Milan, Leica Fotografie International|Hamburg, Modo|Milan, Neon|Hamburg, photo8|London; Photonews|Hamburg, posytyw|Warsaw, RPS-Journal|London, Zoom-magazine|Milan ...
books:
Photobook
Wolfgang Mueller "KARAT" Vice Versa|Berlin 140 Seiten|95 farbige Abbildungen ISBN 3-932809-40-8
Wolfgang Mueller "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" Vice Versa|Berlin; Nazraeli-Press|Portland
"Sky over St. Petersburg", Nazraeli Press|Portland140 pages|95 coloured reproductions, ISBN 1-59005-076-202
Common Book Publications: "Kinder Unterwegs", Geolino|Gruner + Jahr AG & Co, 2004, ISBN 3-570-19488-422
"Wirklich wahr! Realitaetsversprechen von Fotografien", edited by Sigrid Schneider, Stefanie Grebe, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-7757-1454-518
"Kinder. Die Zukunft der Menschheit", Edited by Angela Rupprecht and Ruth Eichhorn, 2005, Gerstenberg Verlag, ISBN 3-8067-2564-020
"Dokumentarfotografie" Wuestenrot Stiftung, Foerderpreise 2003|2004, Chris Durham,Sybille Fendt,Ulrich Gebert,Wolfgang Mueller, 2005, ISBN 3-933249-26-014
"Deutschlandbilder", 17 fotografische Positionen, OSTKREUZ-Agentur der Fotografen, 2005, Edition Braus
"Sibirski Punk", 2006, Gustav Kiepenheuer Verlag, ISBN-10: 3-378-01081-906
exhibitions
Group-Exhibitions
1997: Fotomarathon Gallery Art-College|St. Petersburg
1999: "Sanya, 10 years old pimp, Odessa" slide-projection Rencontres internationales de la Photographie|Arles, "Bitume" International Festival of Contemporary Photography|Brussels, "Odessa homeless NW-Auslandsgesellschaft|Dortmund"
2000: "focus 2000|Parallel Worlds" DASA/ Dortmund
2001: "5th Aenne-Biermann-Award"|Gera, "6th International Days of Photography"|Herten
2003: "Omaggio a Giacomelli" Sala dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo|Brescia-Italy, Gallery Grazia Neri|Milan, "Lines" Gallery Gisèle Linder, Art-Fair| Basel- Switzerland, "Worlds of Living" KoerberPhotoAward, Museum of Art andTrade|Hamburg, "Contemporary German Photography" Gallery NoMI/ St.Petersburg, under the auspices of German Consulate, "15th Promotion Prize of the German Association of Free-Lance Photographers", Forum of Contemporary Photography|Cologne, "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg", Slideprojection of the 10 best sending ins to the "Oskar Barnack Award", International Photofestival|Arles, "Worlds of Living", Koerber-Photo-Award, Photographic Essays About Migration and Integration, Agathenburg Castle
2004: "Images against war" Gallery Lichtblick|Cologne, LUsine Galerie|Brussels; Kunstencentrum Belgie|Hasselt-Belgium; photokina|Cologne; Foto+Photo Festival|Cesano Maderno- Italy; Photoamericas|Portland- USA; Recontres dArles|France; Rhubarb, Pho Birmingham|UK; Noorderlicht|Groningen-NL; Sundsval/ Sweden; Fotofestival|Houston-USA "15th Promotion Prize of the German Association of Free-Lance Photographers", Gruner & Jahr Pressehaus|Hamburg, Haus der Wirtschaft| Stuttgart, "Documentation" Takt Gallery|Berlin, "Really! Promise of Reality of Photography" Ruhrlandmuseum|Essen, Winners and Honourable Mentions of the UNICEF Photo of the Year 2002 and 2003, Photographers Photokina 2004|Cologne, "Piss Off - International Artists United by a Heavy Dose of Attitude" Museum of New Art [mona]| Pontiac-USA
2005: "Odessa Final Stop", Festival Fotoleggendo, c/o ISA|Rome, "Ohne Glanz und Glemmer Prostitution and Trade with Women in the Age of Globalization" TERRES DES FEMMES|Pavillon of the Kunsthalle Tuebingen, " Neueinstellung Deutschlandbilder" OSTKREUZ Agentur der Fotografen, Pfefferberg Haus 2|Berlin, "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek|Goettingen, "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" 16th Recontres Photographiques Lorient|France
2006: "Zeit Raum Bild. 10 years of Documentary Photography Promotion Prizes of the Wuestenrot Foundation" Kulturforum|Berlin, "FotoFest Artists Responding to Violence"|Houston, "Documentary Photography Promotion Prize 2003|2004 of the Wuestenrot Foundation" Museum of Photography|Braunschweig, "Neueinstellung Deutschlandbilder" OSTKREUZ Agentur der Fotografen. Biennial of Photography|House of Photography|Moscow
Single Exhibitions
1998: "Georgian Portraits" Gallery Mediatic|Die-France 1999: "Odessa homeless" Future, Home for Disabled Children|Odessa- Ukraine 2001: "Odessa homeless" Columned Hall of the Thon-Dittmar-Palais|Regensburg, "Karat. Himmel über St. Petersburg", Dominikaner Monastry|Frankfurt/Main, "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" Tom Blau Gallery|London, "Karat. Sky over St. Petersburg" Open Eye Gallery|Liverpool, "Karat - Sotto il cielo di San Pietroburgo" Galleria Grazia Neri|Milan, "Karat - Sotto il cielo di San Pietroburgo", Officina delle Arti, Reggio Emilia"Karat Himmel ueber St. Petersburg, Entrance Hall of the State- and University Library|Goettingen 2005:
Awards
"Focus 2000" 2000, International Student Competition. 2nd prize 2001, "Aenne-Biemann-Preis" Recognition Prize 2002, "Memorial Giacomelli" Grazia Neri, Milano. Honourful Recognition, "UNICEF - Picture of the Year" 2nd place, 15th Promotion Prize of the German Association of Free-Lance Photographers|BFF Documentary Photography Promotion Prize|Wuestenrot-Foundation,
Curriculum Vitae
I was born 1958 in Regensburg|Germany and got to photography as a "late-comer". After participating insocial movements and work as a toolmaker in Frankfurt|Main I was looking for an access to art in playing theater and painting. But finally whilst travelling I found my most intensive access to art through photography. Since 1997 I studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences Dortmund in the class of Prof. Arno Fischer. I finished my studies in June 2002 with the diploma as a photo-designer. After a lot of trips to the countries of the former Sovietunion they became the main point of my photographic work. In autumn 2004 I got member of the Berlin photo-agency "OSTKREUZ".
Abroad Photo ProjectsCanada, China, Cuba, France, Georgia, Italy, Russia, Siberia, Ukraine, USAPhoto project about several years in St. Petersburg