Photo: Shali Eliezri
Born in 1987, I grew up in the west of Germany between extinct volcanos, forests and fields. With my first teacher in photography, I travelled across the country and got access into many different corners of our society. I left shyness behind and learned to interact with carpenters, scientists and chairmen by doing all kinds of photography work.
In 2012, I began to work with analogue cameras as well as the process of developing and printing photos in the darkroom. My relationship to photography became more intimate through this reflected way of working with different kinds of old cameras. I began to understand photography as something I could express myself with and take others on a journey to people and their souls.
The studies at ‚Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie’ in Berlin taught me to search for the truth in things, to dig deeper until I would find the core of what I really care about, in life and when taking a photograph. I graduated from Ostkreuzschule in the class of Ute Mahler and Linn Schröder in 2022 with my work: Without A Mother One Cannot Die.
Being on the road, feeding myself with new impressions of the lands and the people has always been a constant need for me. The freedom of going to wherever intuition brings me, living only with the most necessary things, out in the nature or a different culture is the most giving source of creativity and life energy for me. Today I am based around Berlin, commuting between Europe and the rest of the world photographing and life loving.
In my Podcast: A Nomads Life, I shared about my life on the road from early 2020 to mid 2021. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and here.
Please get in touch about job requests, collaborations, prints and whatever comes to your mind.
hello@kenbuslay.com // +49 1577 3903277
Publications:
IGNANT (online): A day in Paradise
Rosegarden (print): Let’s talk about sex
Surf Magazine (print)
Shelter from the storm (print): Self published book
DRAWN (print): The infinite sea
Humble Arts Foundation (online): Tropes Gone Wild
The Ängsbacka kitchen stories cookbook (print)
Without A Mother One Cannot Die (print): Self published book
F-Stop Magazine (online): The Portrait 2022
Shutter Hub Yearbook 2022 (print)
2022 Edited - Collaboration of OKS Berlin and ITCP New York (print) 2023
Spiegel Wissen 2023 (print + online)
Exhibitions, Awards, Residencies:
Papenwohld Artist Residency No. 2 in Germany, 2018
Art Continuum Residency in Thailand, 2020
OKS Jahrgang Fünfzehn, group exhibition in Berlin, 2022
Kuala Lumpur Portrait Awards, 2nd Prize and group exhibitions 2022
Life-Framer: The human body, Winner 2022
Transition, Group Exhibition at Fotogalerie Friedrichshain in 2022
reFocus One Shot Awards: Portrait Category Silver Award in 2022
Silent Conversations Residency in Italy, 2022
Head On Festival Portrait Awards: Finalist and group Exhibition in Sydney in 2022
LensCulture Summer Open: Winner and Exhibiting at Photo London in 2023
Holstenart Kunstmesse Group Exhibition in Neumünster 2023