45 by Damian Heinisch describes a sequence of image fragments that emphasise and contrast human presence in their physical surroundings. Upon closer examination, the viewer becomes aware that all images are taken through a train window. The photographer’s journey, which takes him from Ukraine to Oslo through present-day Europe, is inspired by train journeys taken by relatives in 1945 and 1978, leading them to death or freedom. At this point in all three journeys, each family member turned 45. The book’s narrative challenges the issue of forced immigration within the boundaries of Europe’s past and present. Eight months after the author’s return in 2013, a new conflict erupted in the Donetsk region, leading to an ongoing war. Click here to purchase the book.
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Damian Heinisch is an Oslo-based photographer with a MA in Visual Arts from the Folkwang School in Essen, Germany. After spending his childhood in Poland and attending school in Germany, he moved to Norway in 2001.
His work is focused on landscape, architecture and space in general. He began by taking a traditional approach to his practice, recently his work has evolved into a narrative confronting themes of identity and immigration. More and more, his work explores this subject through the lens of historical consciousness and emphasising the human soul.
45 is the winner of the 2020 MACK First Book Award and the exhibition is presented in collaboration with MACK books.
