LIFE
FORCE
The magazine of the photo-essay
June 2017 back issue
Iconication
by Anatol Kotte
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Not just a facade: what turns a photograph into an icon?
Rihanna, John Turturro, Angela Merkel, Martin Kippenberger, Mario Draghi, and
Miss Piggy share two things: they are world famous, and they have all stood in front
of the camera of Anatol Kotte. His unique portrait photographs have featured in
publications such as Time, Die Zeit, Stern, or L’Uomo Vogue. But what makes Kotte’s
photographs special? At first glance they are cool and distant, and at second glance
emotional and dramatic. They permit those being portrayed to discover very different
aspects of themselves. Kotte approaches them candidly, seeks a special gaze, an
unexpected demeanor or environment—preferably in black and white, always moving.
The portraits are also interspersed with surprising views of cities and landscapes. The
world and individuals become icons, and we can take a very new look at them.
Rihanna, New York, USA, 2006.
Sir Roger Moore, Berlin, Germany, 2009.
Florence Welch, Berlin, Germany, 2011.
John Turturro, Berlin, Germany, 2014.
Angela Merkel, Berlin, Germany, 2012.
Ang Lee, Berlin, Germany 2012.
Great Wall of China. 2012
Room with a view I, San Francisco, USA, 2005.
Dominique Horwitz, Schuby, Germany, 1994.
Dummies, Detroit, USA, 2005.
CIA / KGB, Berlin, Germany, 1995.
Wolfgang Schäuble, Berlin, Germany, 2011.
Miss Piggy at the Ritz, Berlin, Germany, 2012.
Buddy Elias, Hamburg, Germany, 2004.
Lina, Stockholm, Sweden, 2014.
Ismael Ivo, Weimar, Germany, 1996.
Jessye Norman, Hamburg, Germay, 2009.
