Krass Clement

Krass Clement Kay Christensen (born 15 March 1946) is a Danish photographer who has specialized in documentary work. He graduated as a film director in Copenhagen but soon turned to still photography, publishing his first book Skygger af øjeblikke (Shadows of the Moment) in 1978. He has since become an active documentary photographer, focusing on people from both Denmark and abroad. His earlier work is black and white but since 2000 he has also worked in colour.

Early life Born in 1946, Clement spent much of his childhood in Paris with his father, an artist, and his mother, a pianist. He began to photograph in the late 1950s. After a few freelance jobs in Paris from 1967 to 1970, he studied cinematography at the National Film School of Denmark in 1973. In 1978, he published Skygger af øjeblikke with themes from Denmark and abroad, establishing his name as a documentary still photographer.

Photographic work Det Tavse Land (1981) builds on Skygger af øjeblikke but only with photographs from Denmark. Its portrayal of the Danes and Denmark is very different from other contemporary works. With a critical yet sympathetic approach, he presents both the wrinkled faces of peasants and the dissatisfied looks of children, together with a series of open landscapes where the road or railway extends to the horizon. Despite the grey melancholic weather, the liveliness of the figures makes the book one of the brightest Clement has produced. Langs Vinden. Et fotografisk Essay (1998) and Før Natten. Havana (2001). These pictorial essays contain very little commentary, just a few words or place names accompany the photographs. His recent book Paris: Carnet de Recherche (2010) presents images of the less glossy side of Paris in the 1960s and 1970s taken during the years he spent there with his father, the painter Kay Christensen. His black and white photographs depict scenes from everyday life, often with rather sad-looking figures, in surroundings showing roads, benches, a prostitute's room, the metro, sidestreets and bars.

Clement's work is characterized by a consistent personal style that adapts the tradition of the decisive moment through an open, melancholic aesthetic. His composed black-and-white images emphasize candid portrayals of subjects in revealing situations.

Publications Skygger af øjeblikke. Copenhagen: Erichsen, 1978. . Det tavse land. Copenhagen: Borgen, 1981. . Gentagelsens fest: Fotografier fra det københavnske 6 dages løb. Copenhagen: Borgen, 1984. Byen bag regnen: fotografier fra København. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1987. . Ved døden: Anne-Katharina 22. november 1901–23. januar 1989. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1990. . Hvor ingen talte: fotografier fra en park i Moskva. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1991. . Af en bys breve: fotografier fra Lissabon. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1993. . Det lånte lys: et fotografisk essay. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1995. . Drum: et sted i Irland. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1996. An "almost autobiographical account of the three journeys that Clement made into and out of Dublin while staying in Monaghan in March 1991." . Krass Clement – Drum. Books on Books 16. Errata, 2012. . With essays by Rune Gade and Jeffrey Ladd. Langs vinden: et fotografisk essay. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1998. . Færgen: et danmarksbillede på Storebælt. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1999. . Før natten. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2000. . Påskesøndag ml. 11 og 16. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2001. . Forandringen: Fotografier. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2002. . Berlin notat. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2005. . Lydhørt: Roskilde Festival 2003. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2005. . København – et blik over ryggen. Copenhagen: Fotografisk Center, 2006. . Novemberrejse. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2008. . Paris: Carnet de recherche. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2010. . Venten på i går Auf Gestern warten Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2012. . Bag Saga Blok. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2014. . Impasse Hotel Syria. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2016. . Dublin. Bristol: RRB, 2017. Edition of 1000 copies. Coincides with an exhibition of the work at the Gallery of Photography, Ireland. Across The Cut. Bristol: RRB, 2018. . Metrovia. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2021. . Belfast. Bristol: RRB, 2022. Timeslag. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2023. .

Awards 1997: Life-long artist grant from the Danish arts foundation, Statens Kunstfond 1999: Thorvald Bindesbøll Medal 2006: Fogtdal Photographers Award