Florian Merkel

1961 born in Chemnitz, Germany

1981–1986 Photography studies at Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts   

since 1986 freelance      

lives and works in Berlin   

Zyklische Bewegung / staged photography

When you first see the works of Florian Merkel, you are struck for a second. What is this?
Photographs colored in hours of work on the computer?
During his studies in Leipzig in the 1980s, Merkel was already engaged  in the time-honored tradition of coloring black-and-white photographs.  In those days, glaze colors were used for various support tasks. But to  color his staged photos with a brush, he was already drawn to this  temptation back then and constantly developed the technique in the years  that followed.
Of course, Florian Merkel also experimented with the computer, the  digital imitation seemed to him for a short time to lead to the similar  effects.
In the meantime, he has returned to the traditional methods. He  appreciates them and plays to their strengths; the individually produced  unique piece with its microcosm is what interests and motivates him.