Statement / Art work
Lonely but not alone - Markus Henttonen's photography looks for intimate stories in the city
As a photographer Markus Henttonen (born 1976) has always been first and foremost urban. During the years behind the camera the focus of his lens has been on the human behaviour in different public spaces and environments - on the streets, cafés, clubs, parks and subways.
His main interest lies in the relation between the citizens and their urban living environment: how different spaces that are ruled and dominated by certain expectations and social codes effect behaviour and self-expression, how people move around in the city or how they escape and seek relief in the hectic rhythm of the city life. Although coming from Lahti, a small Finnish provincial city, he has always been at home in the big cities and capitals.
In the autumn of this year Henttonen has continued with his main thematics - the city, its people and structures, however, more recently his work has started to take a shift towards more dramatised photography. Night-time Stories depicts the city in the night. The role of co-incidences and working methods that, at least to some extent, seem to rely on what comes across, has made space for composed and planned, even film-like settings. The situations are heavily designed and controlled. Natural light conditions have been replaced by spotlights.
Written by Art Historian Kaisa Heinänen, 2008