Talking with photographer Wolfgang Volz – His work and photograph project honesty, truth, nature and the effort of humanity.
The Valley Curtain (1970–72) Colorado, the US. Photo: Wolfgang Volz
In a given afternoon, quite late, sitting in my office and awaiting for a photographer to join the interview kill my nerves. Wolfgang Volz appears with a charming and gracious look and his calm voice welcomes me to the interview. I can feel how close our conversation goes as if I was talking to one like my grandfather. Wolfgang has been relying on his pure enthusiasm to fuel his photography career. His work and photograph project honesty, truth, nature and the effort of humanity.
He is renowned as the exclusive photographer for Christo and JeanneClaude for 50 years, ever since 1972 until now. Art historian Werner Spiess called him as “The eyes of Christo and Jeanne Claude”. When the fre of being a photographer grew in him, he started the journey by learning about it and started his study in Folkwangschule (Germany).
Amazed by the first time contemplating the art piece 5.600 Cubimetre Package of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude at the exhibition and event center Documenta in Kassel (Germany) in 1968, later on in spring 1971, knowing that Christo was having an on-going exhibition at Haus Lange Museum (Krefeld, Germany), which was the closest location to him at the time, he travelled there to see Christo in person and discussed about their ideas of doing photography and making books together. They ended up exchanging contacts and about a year after, out of the blue, Christo reached out to him asking: “Do you want to work with us?”. Wolfgang accepted the invitation; since then, he has become the key person that takes part in many projects of the two artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
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Text by: Hạnh Nguyễn, Hà Thu
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
