Night nominee

cotd - city of the dead

my photo series "city of the dead" of cemeteries in the middle of the city with its skyscrapers and the urban landscape in the background, taken at dusk and at night, deals with the connection between past and present, tradition and modernity as well as life and death. it gives a fascinating insight into the complexity of the contrasts in japan. the pictures show the cemeteries as small oases of peace in the middle of the hectic urban landscapes. the tranquillity of the world of the dead and the hustle and bustle of urban life meet here and create an impressive contrast between past and present, between silence and noise. this series is intended to invite us to reflect on the complexity and multi-layered nature of the urban environment and to raise questions about the development of society, the perception of space and time and the significance of memory and history. it fascinates me how such contrasts and connections are depicted in a photo series and how they can inspire the viewer to reflect.

born in 1980 in munich. gottwald 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 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
- 2022 einzelausstellung gemeindesaal rathaus, herrsching
- 2023 einzelausstellung wohndesign darchinger, herrsching
- 2024 rotterdamphoto/rotterdam art week, rotterdam
- 2024 kurparkschlösschen herrsching, kulturverein herrsching
- 2025 art photo salon – selected views gallery, designhaus mathildenhöhe, darmstadt
- 2025 art photo salon – selected views gallery, barlachhalle k, hamburg