Architecture nominee

this is a small series called „japanese cemeteries" which originates from the long-term project "asian dusk - the empire of light“. i document cityscapes and impressions of asian metropolises. the fast economic, political and demographic growth in asia is rapidly changing these urban landscapes. condensation transforms them into dystopias. the excessive use of artificial light, the light pollution, even sometimes makes the night look like day. especially this impressive interaction of natural light and artificial light in twilight and night shots fascinates me very much. i try to get a certain order from the urban landscapes, which never come to rest, through the composition of light, color, surface and lines. the human element is often implied in my pictures, but the human being is not visible. this also underlines the anonymity that prevails in large cities. visiting an asian city is an overwhelming experience that engages all of the senses. in search of a suitable location, i let myself be driven by the smells and noises of the urban jungle, with the intention of transforming the hectic and chaos into an aesthetic calm and balance.

maximilian gottwald, born in 1980 in munich, grew up in chiemgau and the five lakes region. he studied photo design at the munich university of applied sciences and, due to his passion for the built environment, focused on architectural photography early on in his studies. in his diploma thesis "twilight: kraftfeld.der.energie" he dealt with the topic of power plants in the form of an aestheticization of purely functional architecture.
“photography enables me to express my own view of things.
through them i can preserve fleeting moments and create surreal worlds”

in his work, maximilian often deals with travel and documentary photography. he was particularly taken with the sometimes surreal cityscapes and impressions of asian cities. the impressive interaction of natural light and artificial light in twilight and night shots are an essential part of his long-term project "asian dusk - the empire of light" about cityscapes in twilight. here he deals with urban landscapes and their change through the rapid economic, political and
demographic growth.



- 2013 20. aichacher kunstpreis 2013, sandepot-halle aichach
- 2016 artmuc 2016, praterinsel münchen
- 2016 kunstrausch, kurparkschlösschen herrsching
- 2018/2019/2020 photo münchen, praterinsel
- 2022 kunst fährt auf sicht, heine optotechnik, herrsching