Verena Winkelmann is one of seven photographers whose work is presented on the portal Norway - the official site. The photographs have been selected by Preus Museum, Norway's national photography museum. Fragments of a total of 40 photographs are shown in the top field of the portal. If you click on these pictures you will get up information on the photographer and his or her photographs that are shown elsewhere on the portal. The project gives Norwegian photographers an opportunity to show their work to a wide audience all over the world.
Biography:
Verena Winkelmann has had a number of solo exhibitions in Norway and Germany, in addition to several joint exhibitions. She lived in Germany from 1998 to 2003, and now lives in Oslo. Winkelmann seeks to capture through her lens the ”normality” of residential areas. Is there something more going on behind the scences?
Verena Winkelmann says the following about her work:
“When artists are asked to talk about themselves, they tend to look for incidents that relate to art. So I try to find things in my life history that relate to the images I produce today. One factor that has definitely been relevant is the fact that I have grown up in two countries: Norway and Germany.
I decided to study art in Germany, which I did for five years in Leipzig, in former East Germany. The Academy of Visual Arts is a major educational institution and was one of the first to offer studies in photographic art.
I carried out the Skien work while I lived in Germany and I think the pictures reflect both distance and closeness at the same time. And this is how I work with all my images, by creating a distance between the viewer and everyday things. I believe all art is autobiographical, that the projects you work through are all related to your own life and where you are at the time.”
Taxi office
”This makes me think of Edward Hopper and his lonely portrayals of New York. The shape and colours of this taxi office in Skien reminded me of his paintings. The windows are all misted over and the building seems to be one with the night”
Car outside
”A car is standing outside its garage in the middle of the day. This suggests that there is more going on than meets the eye. I had the feeling of something going on inside the house.”
Red barn
”This photograph speaks for itself as pure form. The lawn has virtually been vacuumed; the buildings stand out as sheer surfaces.”
Bald man
”This is a positively charged picture. A man with a muscular neck is enjoying a hot drink on a warm summer’s day. I am peeping through the leafy trees like a spy and encroaching on private ground.”