About - Andy Schwetz Photographs

ANDY SCHWETZ

Andy Schwetz is an fine art and documentary photographer based in Munich, Germany. His work has been published in various print and TV media and shown at numerous International exhibitions.

His work focuses on the melancholy of the past, history and old architecture, as well as detailed series about places with tragic pasts.
His work also always contains a touch of social criticism, which give his photographs a much deeper meaning than the obvious.

The style of his work is variable, as he works both digitally and with analog medium format. Nevertheless, his visual language and look still remain distinct.

He is currently working on his first book about the Chornobyl exclusion zone as well as his own television series.

ABOUT MY ART

My photographs are not only art. They are a contemporary historical medium. Many works show historically significant places and many of those places will sooner or later disappear forever.
That‘s why I always say: you don‘t just collect art, you also collect history: every piece of art has it`s own spirit of time and it`s own significance for someone‘s history.

Aesthetics and visual language is an important criterion for me, but I do not necessarily correspond to the general definition. My aesthetics may also be quite dreary, bleak, melancholic or sad. It is not just about showing a beautiful photo to the viewer – it should awaken an emotion in him and make him think as well.

Another peculiarity of my pieces is the fact, that they show a different view of the world. It is also a side of the world that many do not know or they do not get access to it. I sometimes go for it with large health and legal risks for the goal to be able to send the viewer on a thought and time travel. Many images are therefore not only rare in their edition, but also the motif is often unique in this state.

To me, art is something that brings the artist and viewer in an intimate situation, as the emotions of both sides merge at the moment of viewing. That lends the work its perfect meaning. Therefore, the human component, that I let flow into my art, is very important to me. The reason why I tell so much about the human and social influences and thoughts is, that I want to make people happy with my arts.