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Photographic Series
My first series 'People & Goals' was simply an excuse for asking people on the streets of Manhattan to write statements with chalk on the pavement as personal as they can do. Encouraged by a publication in 'Jetzt'-Magazin about it,
I started in 1999 a freelance artistic and photo-journalistic career. Rather in order to earn money for art projects, commercial people-photography offered opportunities of learning by assisting and later on by own productions. Several photo-reportages brought me back to Central Africa: Uganda, Ethiopia, Tansania, Kenya, and République Centrafricaine. Followed in 2002 by a weekly series called "Medienwelten" for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, with exhibitions in Marl and Munich. 2002 was also the starting point for "The Days After - A Topography of Terror". By visiting places all over the world after terror bombings, they seemed like crystallization points concerning growing fears. Insecurities more in general are the most revealing states for my work, when I manage to stay observing unprejudiced. This describes my art and photo-journalistic work, but as well commercial commissions. I found in photography the perfect tool for serving my unsatisfiable curiosities about life.
Johannes Hepp


Human Hair

50 000 Hindus offer their hair daily at Tirumala to Vishnu for surrender of the Ego. Without their knowledge, tons of human hair gets shipped mainly to China for fumigating, coloring and packaging. Afterwards being sold worldwide as human hair extensions. Weaving a full head's worth of strands into a client's hair can cost up to a 1500 $ in the US. The Diptychs were realized at the entrance and exit of the temple in May 2005.

 

Fallen Soldier
Fallen soldiers are decreasingly shown in times of embeded photojournalism.  Without those pictures the war in Vietnam would have probably lasted longer. Without them we can believe in " avoiding collateral damage". To stage a fallen soldier in an Argentinean uniform from the Falkland war, is supposed to refer to to all victims, that are blended out.

Stop Aging
The title of this work refers to a clinic in Munich called "stop aging". Plastic surgery and digital post-production are getting less and less surprising. By an increase of both measures, a growing demand for "retouching" can be noticed. Self-image and image are constantly adapting to what gets an average perception. The multiple presentation of the same portrait plays with a genre of pop-art and with themes and instruments of the digital age.

Exhibitions
2007  "Contemporary German Photography", University of Texas at Arlington, The Gallery at UTA
         SPE South Central Regional Conference, Oct 18 - 20, 2007
2007  "Act of Faith - 14th Edition", Noorderlicht Fotofestival, Groningen, September 15 through October 28, 2007
2007  Portuguese Centre for Photography, Porto, Portugal, Curated by Tereza Souza, Centro Português de Fotografia
2006  "Johannes Hepp - The days After - Human Hair - Fallen Soldier - Stop Aging", Galerie Poller, Frankfurt am Main
2006  "Johannes Hepp The days after- a topography of terror", Griffin Museum of Photography, 02.11. - 02.12.2006
2006  1st Daegu Photo Biennale - Imaging Asia in Documents, "the days after", by Johannes Hepp, South Korea, Oct 17 - Oct 29, 2006
2006  9th International Photography Gathering, Curated by Issa Touma, Aleppo, Syria, September 15-26, 2006
2006  "Fifth Fotofestiwal - Lodz: KILLING PARADISE" (Peter Granser, Harvey Benge, Johannes Hepp, Susan E.  Evans, Giusy Lauriola,
          Lisdebertus, Nathalie Daoust, Jens Sundheim, Bernhard Reuss, John Lambrichts, Anja Bohnhof, Kai Bornhöft, ..., May 2006
2006  "Digital Lies", International Fotofestival in Lodz, The Muni Arts Centre, PL, May 18-July 5, 2006
2006  "the days after", Johannes Hepp, Foundation of Visual Education, Pontypridd, UK, 02.04. - 06.06.2006
2005 "Vital Signs", George Eastman House, International Center for Photography and Film Rochester, NY, USA
2005 "Wifredo Lam", La Galería de A La Galería de Arte, República de artistas, Habana, Cuba
2005 "the days after", The Circle Gallery, London, UK
2005 Studio Kellner, photographers: network - selection 2005, Siegen, Germany
2004 "The days after - a topography of terror", Ffotogallery, Turner House, Cardiff, UK
2004 "Los dias despues", Centro Cultural de San Martin- Fotogaleria Buenos Aires, Argentina
2003 "Medienwelten" (permanent exhibition), Süddeutsche Zeitung, Zentrale München, München, Germany
2003 "People and Goals" (permanent exhibition), Klinikum Großhadern, München, Germany
2003 "Von Sinnen" 2003, Music Company, München, Germany
2003 "geschossen+gedruckt", Städtischen Galerie Lüdenscheid, Werbefotopreis 2005, Ausstellung / Preisträger
2003 "Medienwelten", Adolf Grimme Inst. Marl in Nordrhein-West., Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten, Marl, Germany
2003 "Elf Tagungsteilnehmer aus Uganda", Arabella Park, München, Germany
2003 "Elf Tagungsteilnehmer aus Uganda", NH Central Convenciones, Sevilla, Spain
2003 "Elf Tagungsteilnehmer aus Uganda", Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) Frank-furt am Main, Germany

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Collections
"the days after" The Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY ,USA
Coleccion Fotografica del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
George Eastman House/Photography Collection, International Center for Photography and Film, Rochester, NY, USA
Museum for Modern Art Houston MFAH, Temple Collection, Houston, TX, USA
Portland Art Museum, Oregon, USA

Publications
> "Vital Signs", catalogue, by the George Eastman House
> Süddeutsche Zeitung Nr. 211 vom 11./12. September 2004, Feuilleton / Holger Liebs
"Die Zeit vergeht, und alles scheint wie immer- Wenn die Angst zum Alltag wird: Die 360-Grad-Bilder des Fotografen Johannes Hepp zeigen Orte des Terrors"
> Fotomagazin -Portfolio:12/2004, Anne Kotzan, "the days after"
> La Nacion / Argentina, "Despues de Manana", 12/11/2004
> Argentinisches Tageblatt: "Despuies de Manana", 4.12.2004
> Photonews / Doppelheft, 12-2004/1-2005, Portofolio: "The days after"
> Süddeutsche Zeitung: Neue Serie "Medienwelten", Beginn: 27.02.2003, Wöchentliche Serie unter dem Titel "Me-dienwelten"
> Süddeutsche Zeitung, "ground Zero", 11.9.2003
> profifoto juli/august 2005, photographers network

Visiting artist
Pavilion Visiting Artists Programme - Host Media Centre in collaboration with Huddersfield University and Leeds College of Art and Design
STUDIO12 In collaboration with Huddersfield University and Leeds College of Art and Design

Awards
2003 Grand Prix Award, Gold Award, Mixed Media
2003 Gold Award, ADC - Germany, Mixed Media
2004 Werbepreis Seltman, "geschossen und gedruckt"
2004 Tv- Portraits ( "the days after"), Nachtkultur - SWR
"Orte des Schreckens", Der Fotojournalist Johannes Hepp
2004 ARTE - Kultur-journal: METROPOLIS: 13.12.04 "The Days After"

Commissioned work
Clients: u.a. Siemens. Sony ,Vodafone, Skoda, Nokia, Rowohlt Verlag, Microsoft, D2, HLX, Berolino, Die Zeit, Grüner Punkt, Berliner Tageszeitung, MfM, Lenovo, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Beiersdorf, Getty-Images, Photonica

Editorials (Magazines)
Shape Magazine, Die Zeit, Sante magazine, Time Magazine, Neon, The Economist, jetzt-magazin, doing fine, Sunday Times.