With the show “Metalheads,” Gestalten presents vivid images that capture the lives and passion of heavy metal fans from around the world. Over the last three years, Jörg Brüggemann, member of the respected agency Ostkreuz, travelled to Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States to photograph these fans known as metalheads. In some of the resulting portraits, it looks as if Brüggemann not only travelled to different countries but back in time to the 1980s, the period of heavy metal’s supposed peak. But all of these images have one thing in common: they show that no matter who metalheads are or where they come from, they are united by their music across borders, generations, genders, religions, and social classes.
The show will also feature Brüggemann’s other photographs of the metal scene. Shots taken at concerts catapult the viewer directly into the mosh pit. The atmosphere is captured so authentically that one can practically smell the beer and sweat and hear the ringing in one’s ears.
To coincide with the show, Gestalten is releasing the book Metalheads: The Global Brotherhood that presents a wider selection of Jörg Brüggemann’s photographs. The images are complemented by informative texts that put the global metal scene into context, share personal experiences, and describe the evolution of this musical genre from its humble beginnings until the present day. Each book contains a complimentary CD sampler from Nuclear Blast, the world’s biggest independent heavy metal label.
A limited number of signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the show.
Jörg Brüggemann, born in 1979, studied photography at the University of the Arts Bremen under the guidance of Professor Peter Bialobrzeski. Since September 2008 he has worked as a freelance photographer for German magazines including ZEIT Magazin, DUMMY, and NEON. He became a member of the respected photographer agency Ostkreuz in October 2009. Brüggemann lives and works in Berlin.
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