János Buck
STUDIO VISIT
Installation as an extension of the photographic process
János Buck completed his bachelor's degree in photography at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in 2015. In 2019, he completed a Master's degree in Photography Studies & Practice at the Folkwang UdK in Essen. In long-term projects, his work deals with topics of social and public interest. Comprehensive research and investigation of aesthetic characteristics are part of his artistic approach. Mixing photographic genres and presenting them as installations are a characteristic part of his working method.
His work has been shown in international exhibitions and publications. His commitment also includes the supervision, conception and organization of various art projects. He lives and works as an artist, photographer and curator in Cologne.
“Hello, I'm János.
I'm a photographer and artist from Cologne, here in my studio in the Südstadt. I come, I would say, originally from documentary photography, and then during my studies, I also started working more in the form of exhibitions. And the idea that a piece doesn’t end with photographing but only comes into being in the installation has led me to engage heavily with materiality and to try to extend this process even into the installation itself.
Thematically, I have always been very interested in social issues, such as meat production, which became a topic of my bachelor thesis. Or the topic of conspiracy theories and belief in conspiracy theories and engaging with such social issues. Less from a documentary approach, but from an artistic, questioning concept.”
"In my most recent work, titled Water Stress, the topic was water and water as a product, the consumption of water as a foodstuff, and also the marketing of it. And there, I also moved significantly away from classic photography. I also began to work sculpturally, and even with the photographs that emerged over the course of the project, through the way the images were produced, through printing, something new emerged. And this materiality, this mix of materiality, adds value to the installation and to the entire work."
"In addition to my own photographic, artistic work, I also work as a curator. I really enjoy working with the works of other artists, discovering connections and creating contrasts or opening up a discourse. As a curator, I am currently preparing an exhibition on the theme of Found Footage, with exciting artists from Cologne, Berlin, and Essen. It will be on display from November 1st at & again in Nippes."
More Studio Visits: ++
Studio Visits
With its museums, galleries and art spaces, Cologne offers a broad field of photography. Naturally, there is also a correspondingly large and diverse artist scene here that works and experiments with the medium. In our new section Studio Visits, we would like to introduce you to artistic positions and take you to the production and thinking spaces of art. Have fun!
