Advertising superstar. Strange staging. Street unicorn.
ABOUT
Based in Hamburg, Germany.
You might have come across German photographer Kai-Uwe Gundlach´s work before without realising it. He's the lens behind countless adverts for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and HP among many others.
As commercial photographer, Gundlach has a large production and CGI team working with him. At the end of such a shoot, however, he prefers to work alone.
Gundlach likes walking through cities, always off the beaten track. He captures his hotel room, sometimes he shoots out of the window of a moving car. There is not a particular thing he is looking for. On every job, on every trip, he pursues his personal projects. Gundlach is in constant search of idiosyncarcy, always on the lookout for special moments, that will never come again.
Discover his artworks on mynt.art
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Awards & Nominations
Numerous Awards at the Art Directors Club (ADC) gold, silver, bronze, honorable mentions
D&AD – wood pencel 2017
Ranking at Luerzers Archiv in the Top 10 of the international Photographers
Listed in the Luerzers Archiv Best 200 AD Photographers
Photographer’s Award (AOP) in London, gold and silver awards
BFF Award
Exhibitions
2018 Triennale of Photography Hamburg
2017 Jung von Matt Gallery Hamburg
2011 Fotofestival Grand Prize Lodz
2011 Robert Morat Gallery Berlin “EDO”
2011 Micheko Gallery Munich “EDO”
Other
Founder of an b+w Lab in Hamburg
Jury Member Art Directors Club (ADC) & BFF
Since 2014, Gundlach has photographed the most awarded print campaign for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ. The "Kluge Köpfe" campaign has been implemented by recognized photographers for over 20 years and regularly wins creative awards
A book about Tokyo has been published by WhitePress and another USA book has received a photo book award in Kassel & Beijing
MYNT.ERVIEW
Your art is...
...weird humor and colourful fun.
Name something you love, and why.
I love my family and my dog, because I love them.
Which professional success meant the most to you?
I can live from my work as a photographer
Could you eat cheesecake for a whole week?
No, but I can eat macarons every day...;)
Analog or Digital?
I love both. I take photos with my iphone but also with the 8x10 camera on film. The iphone is always with me. The 8x10 isn ́t...
Where do you go when you want to be with you?
In my studio.
Tell us something about your education
I did a formal education as a photographer in the north part of Germany.
After several jobs as an assistant, I founded a black&white lab for fine-art-printing in Hamburg. After three years I decided to be a photographer.
A question that moves you right now
Why do we eat animals?
Why photography?
Photography is such a great way to express yourself. It captures moments that never come again.
What was the weirdest encounter, the craziest adventure or the most beautiful moment you experienced on a shoot?
I spent a week travelling in Kamchatka, the easternmost part of Russia. I was very impressed by the people, the volcanoes and the desert.
What is more important to you: Form or content?
A mixture of both. Content is important to tell a story. Form is important to make a story big.
What part of the human face is your favorite?
The eyes.
Where does your inspiration live?
From the daily life. I like walking through cities. Always off the beaten track.
I love the grungy corners, where a mix of different architectural styles meet.
I don't like the too clean new office areas. I want to be able to discover something. It's nice to meet a small shop owner here. It's the normal life that I find exciting and inspiring
