Martin Kohler–Hyderabad

Presse

"Walking in Hyderabad" by Farah Rahman
The Wall Street Journal, Hindustan Times, 27.August 2012

 

Martin Kohler is on a quest to capture cityscapes and spaces walking from one end of a city to another in a somewhat straight line. Having walked cities like London, Istanbul, Seoul, Sao Paolo, Las Vegas, among others, he was in town to walk in Hyderabad. His walks culminate into slideshows of his photographs that allow you to, for instance, traverse London in 10 minutes.

 

"The man that walked" by Zeenab Aneez
The Hindu, 12.August 2012

 

“When you walk you are closer to the people and have the advantage of seeing things from their perspective. The biggest advantage of photography is that it records things you don’t know at the time of taking the picture.” [..]Starting with Seoul in South Korea he has covered London, Istanbul, Mumbai, Detroit, Sao Paolo and Hamburg, among others. While he has a rough idea of the path he is going to take, he does not follow a strict map while walking. If an incident from Seoul where Martin found himself in the wrong side of a military camp was anything to go by, these walks are as adventurous as mountain treks.
His decision to walk through Hyderabad was influenced by the fact that it is a growing urban centre, which is a confluence of history and modernity.

 

"Between Walking and Wandering" by Brendan Craig
Project for Public Spaces, 23.November 2012

 

Kohler is indiscriminate when it comes to what Manaugh calls form and content; he walks through bustling historic districts, crumbling slums, and wide open spaces. The city is presented with all of its pockmarks and postcard shots together, in a portrait of urban complexity.
“The city is presented with all of its pockmarks and postcard shots, in a portrait of urban complexity.”
Kohler’s photos are utilitarian, not precious. This, combined with the rapid speed at
which images flash by, allows the occasional moment of surprising beauty to strike with the same poignancy that it might have in person. Just as quickly as a beautiful mural or eccentrically-dressed passerby appears, they’re gone. Moments later, across the city, a family passes by, the children in suits and ties; off to some special occasion.