An interview with Jens Kohlen by Hey Baé be

Name?

Jens Kohlen

Background? Where are you from?

Kassel, Germany

What kind of art do you create?

Mostly black and white nude and erotic photography

What is the overall message of your art? What are you trying to say?

My camera my rules. You don’t need an expensive camera to make some good pictures. Focus must be on the object in front of your camera. Always try to tell a story. Never photoshop the person away. Show them how they are. No makeup no visa. True and raw pictures.. The beauty is always in the truth. Try to work with people from the streets, not with professional models. Never do it fort he money, do it fort he result.

How did you get into art? What made you an artist?

After 25 years in the fashion industry i take a one year time out and visiting a lot of museums and galleries, also i work for the documenta, the biggest contemporary art exhibition in the world, Which is based in my hometown Kassel. Some day i visiting the Helmut Newton Museum in Berlin. From that day i was so inspired to make also pictures in that type of photography that i made the decision to buy me a small camera and see what will happen.

How did you learn your technique? Self taught?

I am not so in that technique type of things. I owned two cameras with a small setup. One analog camera and one digital camera.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an artist?

Do whatever the fuck you want to do. Find your own style

What’s your goal as an artist?

Make no compromises in your stuff. Don’t look at your bank account. Money is killing art.

Who are your influences?

Peter Lindbergh Helmut Newton Pietro Lucerini Liliya Safanova Suki Da