Joachim Schmid

Joachim Schmid is a Berlin-based artist who has been exploring found photography since the early 1980s.

Biography of Joachim Schmid

Joachim Schmid was born in Balingen, Germany, in 1954. He studied Visual Communication at Fachhochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd and Berlin University of the Arts from 1976 to 1981. He launched his career as a freelance critic and the publisher of Fotokritik, a pioneering and influential publication in West German photography.

After ending the publication of Fotokritik in 1987, Schmid shifted his focus to his own art, which centers on found photography and public image sources. Residing near one of Berlin's largest flea markets, he had already built a substantial and diverse collection of vernacular photography, which became the foundation for much of his work.

He has published over a hundred artist's books, and at the end of 2009, Schmid founded the ABC Artists' Books Cooperative. This group of artists is committed to self-publishing through print-on-demand technology.

In 2014, the Hillmann Photography Initiative at the Carnegie Museum of Art released a documentary exploring Schmid's work.

His solo exhibitions include "The Watch" at Photofestival Vernacolare in Guiglia (2023), "Die Bibliothek" at Goethe-Institut in Sofia (2023), "Photoworks" at P420 in Bologna (2021), "Bilderbuch" at Prospekto Gallery in Vilnius (2019), "Lumpenfotografie" at Station Kasseler Fotoforum in Kassel (2016), and many more.

Additionally, Schmid's works have been featured in numerous group shows held at various galleries and museums worldwide, including The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery in Saratoga Springs, Bibliotheca Alberto Geisser in Turin, Fondation Michalski in Montricher, RMIT Gallery in Melbourne, Hollybush Gardens in London, Fahrenheit 39 in Ravenna, Fotomuseum Winterthur, among other esteemed venues.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Berlin, Germany. 

Joachim Schmid's Famous Works

The series "Bilder von der Straße (41-141-241-341-441-541-641-741-841-941)" is a project that examines a collection of found photographs abandoned on pavements in various locations. Covering a span of thirty years from 1982 to 2012, this work explores the impulse to destroy and desecrate personal moments and memories.

"Security Check" (1985–1987) features photographs taken by the artist while passing through airport security checks. The series captures gestures and impressionistic partial views, documenting the body's transit and the specific actions that define our modern experience of security.

"O Campo" (2010) portrays Brazilian football fields in urban areas, captured from satellite imagery. This perspective exposes the irregularities and makeshift nature of these fields. While Brazil's passion for football is well-known, these images highlight the socio-political backdrop of the sport in the country. The work explores the tension between reality and expectation and between the micro and macro aspects of the game.

Joachim Schmid's Art Style

Since the 1980s, Schmid's image-based practice has centered on the recycling of vernacular photography. In recent decades, he has shifted his focus to the Internet, examining the rapid proliferation of images that defines our contemporary visual economy.

His use of extensive series highlights his interest in photography as a pervasive and culturally varied social and aesthetic dialogue that permeates both public and private aspects of modern life. However, the inherent richness of Schmid's photographic sources, combined with his often sardonic wit, prevents his work from being interpreted solely as anthropology or social science. His artistic focus reflects a deep engagement with photographic history and a fascination with images in all their peculiar and conventional forms.