Markus Henttonen's Twisted Tales is like a lifelong Road Trip where memories, dreams and reality mix up into these layers. There is always something unexpected, or something sad, a lot of waiting and longing but also hope and love. The project is a mixture of landscapes, portraits and narrative actions. Some of the images works as metaphors, some take the story forward and some betray more the feelings. It is an ongoing journey, where every viewer will be able to find their own meanings and stories.

The whole body of work is similar to a giant puzzle that you built on long and some tiny piece is always missing. And then you realize that the puzzle will really be complete. There will always be something little out of place, a little bit twisted, just like in life.
-Markus Henttonen

The original idea for the project came as I was experiencing some challenging times in my life and career. I was finishing up my previous Silent Night -series and staying in L.A. It was slow photographing with long exposures in the darkness. I wanted to do something totally different, work in daylight, with people, more relaxed and just kind of let go of any limitations I was putting to my own photography. One weekend we went to a flea market over at Melrose with my wife and I found this huge box of old photographs. I was immediately fascinated of all the stories that pile of images had, happy moments, landscapes from along the way, graduation portraits, wedding photos… I actually photographed that pile and said to my wife then that I know what my next project is about and this will be the cover. That was over three years ago, December 2012. The first draft of the work was ready in spring 2013. Since then I have photographed a lot and gathered the project like a puzzle. After the California trip I have been photographing Twisted Tales in Berlin, Barcelona, New York, Detroit…
-Markus Henttonen

I would say that most important to me are composition and light. My images have said to be precise and yet poetic so there is beauty but always something deeper, and more layers to discover. My work can be also described dreamy, timeless, poetic, storytelling, sometimes even dark or eerie. In photography I started out in documentary approach so my early inspirations are more the classical photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado or even Helmut Newton. And then I found Wolfgang Tillmans who did things again totally different. That was fascinating. I also have liked a lot the groundbreaking American color photographers like Joel Sternfeld, William Eggleston and Larry Sultan. But I don´t really follow anyone in search for inspiration, for me it comes from different things, music, movies, fashion, nature, people and traveling. I am just always open for new ideas and looking for different ways to express myself. I try constantly to develop myself in everything that I do and I think that being a photographer is a lifelong learning process.
-Markus Henttonen

It is a long road to find your own way in photography, it requires discipline and hard work, and you need to learn to edit your own work well. It is also important to constantly evaluate what you have done, learn from it and not to get too satisfied. By working a lot and trying different things I have learned a lot about myself and about the working methods that are best for me. Some years ago I got some really mean and cheap feedback on my work from a few colleagues in the Finnish art photography. That felt bad for a while but then I just decided to leave all that in my rearview mirror and so in the end it only made me stronger and work harder. I definitely feel it is better not to listen to anyone else too much but to rely on your own thing. I have always kind of gone my own way in photography and doing so my personal view has gotten stronger all the time. But it is not a free or easy ride for anyone that is for sure.
-Markus Henttonen

For me photography is the most important way to express myself and tell my stories. And the camera is also a great tool for me to discover new places and meet new people. Working in photography is most of the times an interesting collaboration between people, an adventure, where you get to inspire and you get inspired by others. And that exactly what I love in this media.

Markus Henttonen, Twisted Tales - Road to Hope opening reception and book signing in Galerie Albrecht, Berlin 11th March 7 - 9PM, Solo show open from 12th March until 23th April 2016:
http://galeriesusannealbrecht.de/upcoming. Book available via Hatje Cantz: http://www.hatjecantz.de/markus-henttonen-6550-1.html

About Markus Henttonen

Markus Henttonen is a Finnish photographer, currently living in Berlin. He studied photography in Turku Arts Academy in Finland, and graduated in 2002. Since then photography has taken him to
work and live abroad. In his works, he's interested in the relationship between people and their environment both physical and psychological. He have photographed the anonymous metropolis in the series Night Time Stories and Wall and the crowded holiday beaches in one of his very first works To be on View. In his recent projects he have shifted deeper into
emotions and narratives, with the eerie and dark Silent Night and the newest Twisted Tales –Road to Hope a journey through landscape, time, and emotions. His works have been exhibited extensively in solo- and group exhibitions as well as international biennials, photo festivals and art fairs and have released three books, Paral-lel City (2004) and Lonely but not Alone (2011) in Finland and the new Twisted Tales –Road to Hope just recently worldwide via Hatje Cantz. See more of his works on Behance as well as his website.