In harmony
About the inside and outside of the human being

With his aesthetic approach, Axel Schneegaß creates an atmosphere of calm in his photographs. Through the reduction to black and white, Schneegaß forms a counter-position to the colorfulness of our everyday life. The image is defined by gentle transitions in the gray of the surfaces and the contrast of the strong and decisive line. The photographs show an intimate moment that conveys the calm and harmony of the images.

The introverted people in the photographs seem detached from their external appearance and dissolve into form and surface in the pictorial space. Even if harmony and tranquillity trigger a sense of well-being when viewed, they are simultaneously broken by a disconcerting feeling. The subtle invites the viewer on a journey that leads us through our own experiences and feelings. At the same time, the photographs point to the ambivalences of life. For example, they sometimes show a moment of melancholy in a smile, or at other times an angry outcry in the silence.

"Photography makes one conscious of beauty everywhere, even in the simplest things, even in what is often considered commonplace or ugly. Yet nothing is really 'ordinary', for every fragment of the world is crowned with wonder and mystery, and a great and surprising beauty." - Alvin Langdon Coburn

It is often the inconspicuous details, such as the gesture of a hand, that emphasize this rupture. They open up a field of tension between what is beautiful at first glance and what is hidden, which refuses to be clearly interpreted, but instead emphasizes the depth and multidimensionality of a person. It is also a field of tension that is not shown here through the photographer's sober gaze. Rather, it is an appeal to the viewer's own empathy - because the images by no means impose their possible interpretations. In this way, the images become a surface for reflection that subtly encourages us to reflect on our own feelings, wishes and desires. Schneegaß resists a bold and purely pleasing style of representation. The perspective and imagery are characterized by an immediate closeness and subjectivity. They stand in contrast to a sober and distanced objectivity. The controlled imperfection is also reflected in the "dirty light" and tilted focal planes. They are the result of the unattached lens used freehand - a technique also known as freelensing. The deliberately chosen analog workflow also brings with it one or two technical imperfections, even though it requires enormous technical skill and knowledge. Similarly, it is the elaborate photographic processes such as lith prints or collodion wet plates that reinforce the subtle emotional component of the pictorial effect. A parallel that can also be found among the pictorialists and creates a link to the quotation of a pictorialist such as Alvin Langdon Coburn. A photographer who, on the one hand, was also characterized by his technical skills, but who nevertheless resisted the purely objective claim of photography. It is the subjective and artistic side of photography that is in the foreground with Schneegaß, as with the Pictorialists.

Ultimately, it is authenticity that makes Axel Schneegaß's photography work accordingly. In order to create this, a relationship of trust between the photographer and the person in front of the camera is necessary. In the picture, it is the moment that shows the letting go or the acceptance of the situation in the pictures. It is characterized in facial expressions and gestures by the contrast of tension in form and relaxation in expression. It is thus the poles of outer appearance and inner emotions that come together in the photographs. Together they create a harmony that, according to Coburn, shows the wonderful and surprisingly beautiful in the seemingly ordinary.

Jean-Luc Caspers, curator and photographer