Born in 1980 near Hamburg, Germany, Inga studied Communication Design, focusing on Documentary Photography in Münster, Germany. Since 2007, based out of Hamburg, Beckmann has been extending her photography portfolio, working with various advertising agencies as well as collaborating with internationally renowned magazines for postproduction work.
With a background and experience in retouching and post-production, Inga is aware of the necessity to produce "clean" documentary photography, focusing and committing to the moment itself.
Curiosity is Beckmann’s predominant drive, leading her to outlandish places and communities around the world. The strange and unusual are her main triggers, using photography as her medium of choice to satisfy this curiosity. Technically demanding, technology-savvy, but unbiasedly observing, the German photographer captures moments and situations, allowing the audience to participate in her life journey.
Inga’s subject matters are everything but mainstream, being aware that true objectivity does not exist and hence taking on the role as a photographer, not an interpreter, of the motifs brought to her lens.
Inga’s invitation to North Korea allowed her to portray dominating cultural elements of North Korean daily life and landscapes, equally picturesque to those of Switzerland, and Canada or the Mediterranean and Caribbean respectively. Inga reflects the country’s very own and special composition of colours, space & dimensions in a neutral way, thus leaving the judgment to the beholder.
NORTH KOREA:
Hamburg-based photographer Inga Beckmann followed an invitation of the KITC (Korean International Travel Company, the operating arm of the North Korean Ministry of Tourism) and travelled extensively throughout the country in mid September 2008. The prevailing late summer guaranteed excellent photographic conditions.
The special circumstances of her journey and the support from the government institution, KITC, allowed her to capture this unknown state from an angle not portrayed before. The travel route covered the cities of Pyongyang, Kaesong, Nampo, Wonsan and connecting them with their ancient historical monuments, places of cultural interest and untouched nature – all unknown to the West.
On the one hand, North Korea combines every aspect of landscape photography from mountains, to lakes and beaches, which are all comparable and equally as picturesque as those of Switzerland and Canada, and the Mediterranean and Caribbean respectively. On the other hand, it is interesting to see which cultural elements dominate North Korean daily life since the media coverage about this state is exclusively political.
Inga Beckmann’s pictures aim to solely observe, rather than trying to observe and judge at the same time. Her style allows her to reflect the country’s very own and special composition of colours, space & dimensions in a neutral way, thus leaving the judgment to the beholder.
