Magnus Scharmanoff
Basic information
b. 1964
Photo Artist
Residence: Helsinki
Contact information
Phone number: +358 40 513 6313
Email: magnus@scharmanoff.com
Artist’s Statement
"My photography is heavily staged. During the development of my career my photographs have become increasingly complex and the pictures more crowded with content and meanings. I wish to work with several stories and viewpoints in the same picture, leaving as many doors open as possible for the viewer to make own interpretations.
I plan my photos carefully in advance, making detailed sketches of the picture I am working on. I build and paint props and backgrounds, often adding strange elements to existing surroundings. I have no interest in digital retouching, instead I focus on traditional craftsmanship when staging my works. All my photos are straight prints from a single negative.
The main theme I have been working on since my first exhibition in 1992 is identity.
I have studied the role models of a typical western man, using myself as an accidental example. The result is a colourful journey towards the most secret mysteries of the
male self."
I plan my photos carefully in advance, making detailed sketches of the picture I am working on. I build and paint props and backgrounds, often adding strange elements to existing surroundings. I have no interest in digital retouching, instead I focus on traditional craftsmanship when staging my works. All my photos are straight prints from a single negative.
The main theme I have been working on since my first exhibition in 1992 is identity.
I have studied the role models of a typical western man, using myself as an accidental example. The result is a colourful journey towards the most secret mysteries of the
male self."