NILS MÜLLER

Nils Müller is a former Graffiti artist from Cologne, Germany, who’s focus turned to photography because he wanted to find a way of immortalising his work. Unlike many street art photographer, his primary focus is not on the graffiti itself but the process of creation and the artists who go through emotional tension, trouble with the law and explore the most remote locations to practice their art. In the aim of elevating graffiti to a respected level, he captured the ‘behind the scenes’ workings of the artists which led him to take his passion for photography into other areas such as capturing musicians, actors and other artists in a similar style. His connection with the art and empathy he feels towards the creative minds behind the projects allow him to capture unique moments and the personalities and emotions of artists who are otherwise known as vandals or criminals. I believe this is why he named his photo-book ‘Vandals’, to reclaim the word and display it in a way that is so contrasting to people’s premeditated opinions of it.

By not capturing an image of street art itself, he displays a subtle side to the art. Although the graffiti is not shown, he gives subtle gestures towards the art. For example, in this image he gestures towards graffiti by featuring the underneath of a train which historically are key targets for street artists. Also, he gives a hint that the artist is painting, shown in the blue paint which has dripped into the icicle. These suggestive qualities and indirect tribute to the artists allow Müller to display his personal connection with the artist through photos.