Amsterdam Story by Werner Mansholt

Amsterdam is world-famous for the historic Canal Ring, Amsterdam’s ‘Centrum’ (UNESCO-World heritage), but also host of renowned museums and charming areas.

His Series is about the atmosphere of daily life in the streets.In his photographs Werner Mansholt allows as to participate in a journey around the entire world. Yet he does not show us any of the traditional sites.

He deliberately leaves out the usual tourist attractions and magnificent sceneries. Instead, he gives us a glimpse behind the postcards which normally define so clearly what we are supposed to find beautiful. His perspective of the world, which is often rather fragmentary, leaves us with a puzzle, as we never know immediately where the photographer has decided to whisk us off. However, this irritation makes us more aware, as it encourages us to take a closer look and to question the ideas we may have of the situation. Werner Mansholt does not want to prove anything with his photography. It is far more important to him that he should give a visual impression of each moment  he experiences. He wants to feel the presence of each place, its people and its objects. He sees traveling as a state or perception and as being open to the little sensations of everyday life. This sets his photography apart from any tourist-like consumption of the world. In an article on „iconomania“ (obsession with imagery) Günther Anders said that tourists traveling to Venice were far more interested in the pictures they could take of St. Marks’s Square than the time they spent there. Enthusiasm, he said, did not enter their minds until they were sitting on their sofas and giving slide shows. The only way people could prove that they had really been somewhere was through the reproduction of cliche’ motifs.

The photographic genre „street photography“ involves, in particular, the art of not playing off instinct and intellect against each other. What drives Werner Mansholt to create photographic images of his environment is his desire to capture an untamed vivacity. Yet this only works because whenever he takes a photo he trusts his instinct and because he uses all his knowledge about the impact of imagery whenever he compiles a series of work.“ (Wolfgang Zurborn).

About Werner Mansholt

Werner Mansholt is a street photographer and photographic artist. He lives and works in Darmstadt (Germany). He is appointed member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (DGPh) (=German Photographic Society) and Member of LensCulture Network.He attended workshops with Lorenzo Castore, Anders Petersen, Arno R. Minkkinen, Anja Niedringhaus, Wolfgang Zurborn, Eva Leitolf, Philipp Blenkinsop, Kadir v. Lohuizen, Jo Ractliffe, Davide Monteleone, Simon Norfolk (Masterclass) and Celina Lunsford (Artistic director of Fotografie Forum Frankfurt).

He had exhibitions or participation in exhibitions in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Darmstadt , Schömberg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Plock (Poland), Tbilisi (Georgia), Teplice/Prague (Czech Republic ), Kaunas (Lituania), Los Angeles (USA), Sydney (Australia) etc. His work is publishes in international magazines, calendars, newpapers, books and catalogues, among others: DIE ZEIT- Zeit-online.de, ZEIT-Magazin-online, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL, L’Oeil de la Photographie, Wiener Zeitung, FotografiaMagazine, Der Greif, DOC-Photomagazine, SHOTS-magazine, LifeForceMagazine, lenscratch, Phroom -magazine, LensCulture, book “Streetphotography 2015”, etc.

He got some Awards/Nominations: Finalist Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award2017; LensCulture Streetphotography Award 2016 Top 100; Shortlist Kaunas Photo 2016; Honorable Mention London Photo Festival 2016; Shortlist Athens Photofestival 2015; shortlist Kaunas Photo 2015; shortlist Lodz Grand Fotofestival 2015; Finalist Schömberg Fotopreis 2015; Honorable Mention MIFA (Moskow Intern. Foto Awards) 2014; Honorable Mention PhotoAnnualAwards (Czech) 2014; Shortlist International Fotofestival Schömberg, Germany 2013; Honorable Mention IPA (Lucie-Awards )Los Angeles 2013; Shortlist Tbilisi Kolga-Festival, Georiga, 2012, Short-List Athens Photo 2012; Honorable Mention Lucie-Award, Los Angeles 2008; Honorable Mention Prix de la Photographie Paris 2007. [Official Website]