Jan von Holleben spends his time between Berlin, London and his homeland in South West Germany where he produces the majority of his photography. Born 1977 in Cologne and brought up in the Southern German countryside, von Holleben lived most of his youth in an alternative commune environment. At the age of 13 he followed his father's photographic career by picking up a camera and experimenting with all sorts of 'magical' tricks, constantly developing his photographic skills with friends and family. Following a professional photographic apprenticeship with a commercial photographer and learning all about the technical side of the art, he moved to England aged 23 to study at Surrey Institute of Art and Design in Farnham. After his graduation he became submerged within the London photographic scene where he quickly set up two photographic collectives, became involved as picture editor and photographic director for magazines and agencies and won several prestigious awards a year with his own photography. Jan von Holleben's work is now widely published in magazines and books and he has had solo exhibitions in London, New York, Berlin and Paris.


Education

2000 – 2002 BA (Hons) Photography – SIAD University, Farnham
1999 – 2000 Studies in Teaching Children with Disabilities – Pädagogische Hochschule, Freiburg
1997 – 2000 Photography Apprentice – Prisma Productions, Freiburg
1997 Baccalaureate Diploma (A-Levels) – MSG, Breisach


Awards

2008 Backlight Residency, Finland
2008 Idn + graniph Universe Award Bronze, Tokyo
2007 Florence Biennale Award for Photograph: Bronze, Florence
2007 PHE07 Best Photography Books of 2007 for 'Dreams of Flying', Madrid
2007 Photography Masters Cup - Color Award
2007 First Art for Aid Award, Amsterdam
2007 Gold Anuario do clube de Criacao, Sao Paulo
2007 First Best CP Award, Munich
2007 Cedefop Award, Thessaloniki
2006 International Photography Award, Los Angeles
2006 Pilsner Urquell Ambassador for Contemporary German Photography, Cologne
2006 Young Portfolio Award, Kiyosato
2006 Magenta Award, Toronto
2006 Honours - Hyeres Festivale de la Photographie, Hyeres
2006 Gold Winner - Life Style - Lead Awards, Hamburg
2006 Festimage, Chaves
2005 Photoreview Award, Langhorne
2004 Audi / Next Level Photographic Award, London
2004 London Photographic Award, London
2004 The Observer Hodge Photographic Award, London
2004 International Photography Award, Los Angeles
1998 FotoSalon Preis, Kirchzarten


Selected Solo Exhibitions

2008 It'll happen here, Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta
2008 Kleines Gluck Grosses Spiel, UNO ART SPACE - Ute Noll, Stuttgart
2007 Wir werden immer grösser, Galerie Robinson, Paris*
2007 Wir werden immer grösser , Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art, New York*
2007 11 -21, NeunPlus, Berlin (book)
2007 Dreams of Flying, V&A Museum of Childhood, London
2006 Dreams of Flying, Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art, New York
2005 Dreams of Flying, Nogoodwindow, Paris
2001 The Apricot, Kunstverein Kirchzarten, Kirchzarten
2000 The Mystery of..., Jos Fritz, Freiburg
2000 Punkt B, Hans Bodirsky, Freiburg


Selected Group Exhibitions

2008 Backlight Fotofestival, Oulu + Tampere
2008 foto8summershow, HOST Gallery, London
2008 Urban Jealousy, Biennal Tehran
2008 Backstage Puristen (mit Christian Hoedl), Galerie BIRO, Munchen
2008 Contemporary Floating Printout Exhibition, Szekesfehervar
2008 Under Current, CGU Art Galleries, LA
2008 Querdenker, Darmstadter Tage der Fotografie, Darmstadt
2007 6 Biennale Internationale dell’Arte Contemporanea, Florence (catalogue)
2007 10 Geo Photographers, Pingyao Photofestival
2007 PX3 Photography Award / Paris (catalogue)
2007 Art for Aid, Unicef & Sothebys, Amsterdam (catalogue)
2007 Und#2, Ferenbalm-Gurbrue Station, Karlsruhe
2007 Young Portfolio Acquisitions2006, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Art, Kiyosato (catalogue)
2006 Chance, Agnes B, London (catalogue) *
2006 Leadawards, Haus der Fotografie Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (catalogue) * Peeping Tom, Galerie Gana-Beaubourg, Paris
2006 Slices of Life, Ferenbalm-Gurbrue Station, Karlsruhe
2006 Flash Forward, Monte Clark Gallery, Toronto (catalogue)
2006 Photovoice, Annual Fundraiser Auction, Reuters, London (catalogue)
2006 Petites Morts, Glass House Gallery, London
2005 All I want for Christmas, Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art, New York
2004 Audi / Next Level Photographic Award, Audi Forum, London
2004 Photodebut - It Went Dark and I Saw, London College of Communication, London The Observer 2004 Hodge Photographic Award, The Reading Room, London
2004 DAY4- Home, Homebar, London
2004 Photodebut, 4 Corners Gallery, London
2003 Reduced, Century Gallery, London
2003 Photodebut, 18 Charlotte Road, London
2002 The Unscene Awards, Catto Contemporary, London
2002 Flight, The Well at The Old Truman Brewery, London (catalogue)
2002 Rhythm Indigo, Dust, London (catalogue)
2001 Art10k.com, Tate Modern and Photographers Gallery, London
2001 Public Living Rooms, Instant, Karlsruhe
2001 Mostra-T, Plastic / Conventino & Plastic & Galleria d’Arte Allidoro, Pesaro (catalogue)
2001 Contemporary Photography, West End Centre, Aldershot
2000 Passagen und Uebergaenge Art Award, Friedrichsbau, Bühl (catalogue)
1998 KirchzARTener, FOTOsalon’98 Award, Kirchzarten

* touring exhibitions


Bibliography

Monographs & Artists Books

2008 Traume com Fliegen, Jan von Holleben / Hoffman & Campe, Hamburg
2008 Postcard / Laurence King, London
2007 11-21, The Photographer’s Office, London
2007 Traum & Trauma, Reporter Ohne Grenzen, Germany
2007 Ruby Mag, Irana Douer, Argentina
2006 1585 Deutsche Börse + Xchange, Corps, Düsseldorf
2006 Dreams of Flying, The Photographer’s Office, London
2006 Jaarsverslag 2005, ZNA, Antwerp
2001 Yours, Capco, Antwerp

Catalogues

2007 YP’06, Photographs by the Next Generation: Young Portfolio Acquisitions 2006,
2007 K*MoPA, Kiyosato
2006 Chance, Fotografique, London
2006 Flash Forward, The Magenta Foundation, Toronto
2006 Spezial Leadawards, Kressreport, Heidelberg
2002 F.light, Surrey Institute of Art & Design University College, Farnham
2002 Rhythm Indigo, Dust, London
2001 Mostra-T, Comune di Pesaro, Pesaro
2000 Passagen und Uebergaenge, Edition Isele, Bühl

Publications

Adbusters, Art Review, Bant, Bolshoi, C-Magazine, Chrismon, Creative Review, Day 4, Daxed&Confused, Die Facette, Die Zeit, Diva, Dumbo Feather, DPI Taiwan, Dummy, Emotion, Geo, GeoLino, IDN, Label Magazine, Liberation, Life Element, Mixmag, Migros, Muy Interesante Junior, Natt&Dag, Neon, Next Level, Photo Review, Repubblica, Rojo, Rund, Style 100, The Face, The Sunday Review, Sleazenation, SZ-Magazin, Vice, Vision China, Weltwoche, YourMag, Zeit Magazin Leben, Zoom
(Publication dates/ numbers are available on request)

Selected Web Pages

2007 180degreeimaging.com, Dreams of Flying + Interview, 02/2007
2006 bibi.org, Dreams of Flying, 09/2006
2006 saatchi-gallery.co.uk, portfolio, 06/2006
2006 designclicks.de, various + Interview, 05/2006
2006 ruby-mag.com, Dreams of Flying, 04/2006
2006 gomma.com, Website of the Month, 04/2006
2006 thecoolhunter.net, portfolio, 01/2006
2006 geo.de, Dreams of Flying + Interview, 01/2006
2005 seesawmagazine.com, Dreams of Flying, 02/2005


Commissions (selected)

2007 Hypovereinsbank, Bayern München Campaign, Wieden & Kennedy, Amsterdam
2007 Pilsner Urquell, German Ambassador for Contemporary Photography, Cologne
2006 1585 Deutsche Börse + Xchange, Magazine Concept, Corps, Düsseldorf
2006 Concord, Print Campaign, Bloomproject, Nürnberg
2006 Jaarsverslag 2005, Annual Report, ZNA, Antwerp
2006 GOL Airline, Advertising Campaign, Brazil
2005 Happy!, Poster, Wolff Olins, London


Private Collections

Amsterdam, Berlin, Freiburg, Ghent, La Spezia, London, New York, Oslo, Paris, Pesaro, St’ Peter


Public Collections

Kiyosato Museum of Photograhic Arts, Kiyosato
Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood, London