interview Martin Schöller, It's very exciting to create contemporary documents because these photos have a very high value 40 or 50 years later.

interview Martin Schoeller, It's very exciting to create contemporary documents because these photos have a very high value 40 or 50 years later.

Martin Schoeller interviewing one of the XLH sufferers, Vanessa Zügel © Martin Schoeller

Martin Schoeller: "I consider myself a documentary photographer. I want to document groups, how they present themselves and how they are perceived."

The multiple award-winning Martin Schoeller became known for his special portrait series, which he calls "Close-ups". The close-up is for him the purest form of the portrait. They are unretouched portraits for which he uses the same equipment and identical light, similar angles and distances each time; a technique he uses to create documentaries such as the "Survivors", Holocaust survivors, "Death Row Exoneres", people who escaped the fate of the death penalty, or the still unfinished "Female Bodybuilder". In the latest case, he is using his work to gain worldwide attention for the hereditary disease XLH, phosphate diabetes - a hereditary and very rare metabolic disorder and its consequences for those affected.

The documentary Faces of XLH portrays 24 people suffering from XLH and it was shown for the first time at the NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf. Faces of XLH supports Rare Diseases Day Europe rarediseaseday.org. Every year on the last day of February, a worldwide awareness campaign for rare diseases takes place. The main goal of this campaign is to raise awareness among the public and decision makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients' lives.

Martin Schoeller moved to New York 30 years ago at the age of 22. His close-up technique is very poignant as you feel very close to the person. His working method has a documentary character, with his serial portraits of individuals of a group he sets important impulses in a world saturated with images. On the occasion of the exhibition opening at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, Alethea Magazine received an interview from Martin Schoeller.
February 17, 2022

Interview Directory

ART

Name: Martin Schoeller

Occupation: New York-based photographer whose style is described as "hyper-detailed close ups". Most recognizable work are his portraits, shot with similar lighting, backdrop, and tone.

"My work is a public relations effort - I see myself not just as a photographer but as a storyteller."

How did you come to this project?

Unfortunately, the mother of a friend had a similar disease and so I became aware of this problem. We contacted associations to get in touch with patients - we found less men, as more women suffer from this disease.

I photographed 24 people who have the same disease but different life stories. I was fascinated by the different ways they deal with it. Many of these people have gone through surgeries at a young age.

The people, especially the children are then exposed. How do you feel about that?

But I want to bring awareness and understanding to this disease. Many of these children have been teased in schools and have suffered trauma. My work is a public relations effort - I see myself not just as a photographer but as a storyteller.

I talked to each of these people and got 20 hours of tape recordings that I edited together into 5 minutes of audio. In doing so, I not only gave them a face but also a voice.

"I consider myself a documentary photographer. I want to document groups, how they present themselves and how they are perceived."

You've made documentaries with many of your long-term projects. What do you think would be a title for all your work?

That is very difficult. My photos are so different and I also started working in video installations. I've done a lot of idea-driven photos for magazines, conceptual photos; you can't put this under a signature.

I consider myself a documentary photographer. I want to document groups, how they present themselves and how they are perceived. Right now I'm still working on the Drag Queens series because I noticed how much this scene has changed in the last 20 years. It's very exciting to create contemporary documents because these photos have a very high value 40 or 50 years later. So I think it's very important to work in series, because in our time we are flooded with images.

What is your most important work in terms of contemporary history?

That remains to be seen.

What type of person are you interested in portraying?

Everyone is treated equally by me, whether Barack Obama or unknown people, homeless people or actors - the important thing for me is to find a group. There is always a very clearly circumscribed definition of this group. I photographed 300 homeless people on the same corner in New York ; or the Death Row project, which has a group of 898 people.

Are there celebrities who don't want to be photographed in the way of your close-up?

When I first started photographing, it was very easy because no one knew me and no one knew how close I was.

Now it happens that I get a portrait assignment from magazines and afterwards their PR agency calls me and tells me that a fashion photographer should rather take the picture, who retouches more or doesn't get so close.

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