Johannes Barthelmes

The internationally renowned jazz musician Johannes Barthelmes has shifted his focus to human photography (street, erotic, portrait) since 1999.

It follows that in his images, alongside the compositional aspect, the aim to evoke emotion plays a crucial role.

He works both analog and digitally.

Current focal points of his work: Cuba, India, eroticism.

“His photos, portraits, and nudes are not only an aesthetic pleasure; they express love and admiration for the people Barthelmes captures with his camera. Art is always an abstraction of reality and never an attempted copy of reality. Barthelmes’s portraits and nudes are not flat representations. His portraits do not document faces; they capture the character of the person. His nudes describe the beauty of the female body as an aesthetic expression.”
(Gerhardt Engelking, Director Goethe-Institut Kuala Lumpur)

“His portraits are his way of connecting with his audience – somewhat like a dialogue between two people. ...His faces are timeless documents of everyday people – from the sad old man gazing at his empty bottle, to the content fisherman in Penang, to the group of children huddled together while playing; the photographer seems to have done justice to his protagonists. ...Barthelmes’s photographs possess a special kind of ‘energy’ that reveals more than just the surface of a face. ...It is surprising that fame plays no significant role here, especially for those who appreciate high-quality photography.”
(The Sun, Kuala Lumpur)

1999
- National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Malaysien: GERMAN ART OF THE 90s'
- ´KARNEVAL DER KULTUREN – DOC.´, Berlin (jeweils Gruppenausstellungen)
2000
- Space 2324 Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Malaysien: 'FACES' (Einzelausstellung)
2002
- Kulturhof Speyer: 'LIKE MUSIC IN MY EYES' (Einzelausstellung)
2004
- Galerie Kunstkeller Dresden: 'MUSIK IN MEINEN AUGEN' (Einzelausstellung)
2005
- Galerie Finearts Con.tra. Berlin: 'REGARDS INTIMES' (Einzelausstellung)
2008
- Photokina 2008 Köln: 'PEOPLE' (Einzelausstellung)
2011
- 3x Berlin; Bremen; Benares, Indien (Einzel-Dauer-Ausstellung 2011 -2012)