Photographer Research
Finnish photographer Henrik Malmström (born in the year 1983) currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His work is often the result of the interaction with his immediate surroundings. In 2010 he self-published his first book of photographs.
In the same year he moved to Hamburg, Germany, where he developed and completed his two projects “A Minor Wrongdoing” and “Life is One Live it Well” by 2014. He is the co-founder and curator of the Müllkellergalerie, an art gallery located in a garbage room in Hamburg, Germany. In 2015 he co-founded the online platform ‘Vaciarte’, this that deals with arts and politics in city of Buenos Aires.
The book I want to focus on is, Henrik Malmström’s A Minor Wrongdoing, it records night-time street life in an area of Hamburg known for its criminality. The photos are taken with very high ISO making them appear grainy and low quality – almost like they were taken with a surveillance camera. The area is infamous for its gentrification ( it is the process of renovating and improving a district so that it conforms to middle-class taste, most of the time forcing residents of the lower class area to evict the district). Many areas of St. Helier are undergoing gentrification so I think it will be very interesting to look into this topic and document the changes that happen.
Malmström chose to photograph a spot from his window. He was able to document and record from the safety of his home; in a sense it was like spying on the subjects. The neighbourhood of St. Georg in Hamburg is where Malmström chose to photograph his subjects; this area has recently undergone strict laws that were put in place top ban the street-based prostitution. His subjects tend to be women and their interactions with their clients; hence the name, ‘a minor wrongdoing’.
For my first shoot, I want to pick a visible spot on the street and photograph the bypassers in the night. I intend to use high ISO and a tripod to achieve successful photographs working in the style of Henrik Malmström. Much like Malmström, I will take the photos from my windows and the safety of my home.
Further Links for referencing: