Magnus Scharmanoff

Basic information

b. 1964
Photo Artist
Residence: Helsinki

Contact information

Phone number: +358 40 513 6313

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."