Martin Roemers (born August 21, 1962 in Oldehove, Netherlands) is a Dutch photographer and artist. Roemers studied at the AKI Academy of Visual Arts in

Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...

, the Netherlands. He graduated in 1991.

''Trabant''

His first long-term project was ''Trabant. The Final Days of Production'' (1990–1992). Roemers, still being a student, photographed the production process of the

Trabant Trabant () is a series of B-segment, small cars produced from 1957 until 1991 by former East Germany, East German car manufacturer HQM Sachsenring GmbH, VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. Four models were made: the Trabant P 50, Trabant 50 ...

car and made portraits of the Trabant workers. The book and exhibition of this project followed years later in 2007.

Warfare project

Roemers opted for the black-and-white portrait in his photo projects on the long-term effects of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

fare. This resulted in three books and exhibitions: * ''Kabul'' (2002): Portraits of

ISAF The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...

soldiers in

Kabul, Afghanistan Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into 22 municipal districts. A 2025 estima ...

photographed with an antique Afghan box camera. * ''The Never-Ending War'' (2004–2005):

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

veterans from Russia, Germany, USA, UK, Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands. The series received a World Press Photo award in 2006. * ''The Eyes of War'' (2007–2012): Blind victims of World War Two. For this project, he made portraits of dozens of people who had lost their eyesight as children, young adults or soldiers in the violence of WW2.

''Relics of the Cold War''

In his book ''Relics of the Cold War'' (1998–2009) Roemers traced

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

relics in former Eastern and Western Europe and then photographed them in situ. This generated a collection of images of tunnels, rusting tanks and abandoned

nuclear missile Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. All nine nuclear states have developed some form of medium- to long-range delivery system for their nuc ...

launch pads.

''Metropolis''

In ''Metropolis'' (2007–2015) Roemers photographed 22

megacities A megacity is a very large city, typically with a population of more than 10 million people. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in its 2018 "World Urbanization Prospects" report defines megacities as urban a ...

worldwide . Roemers presents these (analog)

cityscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...

s from an elevated perspective and uses a long exposure time in which traffic and people merge into a blurred rush of energy. ''Metropolis'' features Beijing,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Cairo,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, Guangzhou, Istanbul,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Karachi,

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, Lagos, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Exhibits and recognition

Roemers’ work has been exhibited throughout Europe, America, Asia and Australia. It is represented in Amsterdam's

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

(60 prints) and The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Roemers received two

World Press Photo Award The World Press Photo of the Year award is part of the World Press Photo Awards, organized by the Dutch foundation World Press Photo. Considered one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in photojournalism, the World Press Photo of the Yea ...

s, including a first prize for Metropolis, along with a number of other prizes.

Books (Monographs)

* Martin Roemers, De laatste lichting – The Last Batch, Het Apollohuis (Eindhoven, 1996). Introductions by Rolf Sachsse, Herman Amersfoort, * Martin Roemers, Tussen vijandige Buren, Mets & Schilt Publishers (Amsterdam, 2000) Introduction by Henri Beunders, * Martin Roemers, Kabul, Legermuseum (Delft, 2003), Introduction by Frits Baarda, * Martin Roemers, The Never-Ending War – De eindeloze oorlog, QV Publishers (Nijmegen, 2005). Introduction by H.J.A. Hofland, Interviews by Martin Roemers, * Martin Roemers, Trabant; The Final Days of Production – Trabant; Die letzten Tage der Produktion, Wasmuth Verlag (Berlin, 2007), Introductions by Winnfried Sonntag, Achim Dresler, Kerstin Schwenn, * Martin Roemers, Relics of the Cold War, Hatje Cantz (Ostfildern, 2009), Introductions by Nadine Barth, H.J.A. Hofland, Martin Roemers, * Martin Roemers, The Eyes of War, Hatje Cantz (Ostfildern, 2012), Introductions by Cees Nooteboom, Martin Roemers, Interviews by Martin Roemers, * Martin Roemers, Metropolis, Hatje Cantz (Ostfildern, 2015) Introductions by Ricky Burdett, Azu Nwagbogu, Els Barents,

Books with contributions by Roemers

* Document Nederland, Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, 2005), * Traces & Omens, Noorderlicht (Groningen, 2005), * Warzone, Noorderlicht (Groningen, 2010), * Metropolis – City Life in the Urban Age, Noorderlicht (Groningen, 2011), * Visions of Earth, National Geographic (Washington, 2011), * Growth, Prix Pictet, teNeues (Kempen, 2011), * Modern Times, Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam 2014), * Mexico Megalopolis, Lannoo (Tielt, 2016),

Permanent Collections

* –

, Amsterdam, the Netherlands * –

Huis Marseille Huis Marseille, Museum for Photography is the oldest photography museum in Amsterdam. The museum is housed in a monumental canal house at Keizersgracht 401. Since 1999, it has served as the first museum in the Netherlands fully dedicated to photog ...

– Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, the Netherlands * – Kunsthal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands * – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Art Collection, The Hague, The Netherlands * –

Nationaal Militair Museum The Nationaal Militair Museum (NMM) is a military museum in Soesterberg, Netherlands. It focuses on the history of the Dutch Armed Forces with emphasis on the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The Stichting Koninklijke D ...

, Soesterberg, The Netherlands * – Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany * –

German Historical Museum The German Historical Museum (), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans". It is ofte ...

(DHM), Berlin, Germany * – Industriemuseum Sachsen, Chemnitz, Germany * – Stadtmuseum Berlin, Berlin, Germany * – Ford Foundation, New York City * – The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, USA

Solo exhibitions

* 2001 Noorderlicht Photogallery, Groningen, The Netherlands, Tussen vijandige buren * 2003 Legermuseum, Delft, The Netherlands, Kabul * 2007 Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, The Never-Ending War * 2009 Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, A tribute to the Trabant * 2009 – 2010 Willy Brandt Haus, Berlin, Germany, Relics of the Cold War * 2009 – 2010

Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum (''German Museum'', officially (English: ''German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology'')) in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of science museum, science and technology museum, technology, with a ...

, Munich, Germany, Trabant: The Final Days of Production * 2010 Krasnoyarsk Museum Center, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia, Relics of the Cold War * 2012 Kunsthal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, The Eyes of War * 2012 Anastasia Photo, New York City, Metropolis (Work in Progress) * 2014 Anastasia Photo, New York City, Relics of the Cold War * 2014 – 2015 German Historical Museum (DHM), Berlin, The Eyes of WarGerman Historical Museum, Berlin, Video interview The Eyes of War (English/German) October 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c96b0dC6btQ * 2015 Arsenal, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, The Eyes of War * 2015 – 2016 Huis Marseille – Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Metropolis * 2016 East Wing, Dubai, Metropolis * 2016 German Historical Museum (DHM), Berlin, Relics of the Cold War * 2016 Torch Gallery, Amsterdam, Metropolis * 2016 Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Mumbai, India, Metropolis

Group exhibitions

* 2002 The Netherlands Photo Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Brandhaarden – Warzone * 2004 State Museum of the Political History of Russia, St. Petersburg, Russia, Warzone – Dutch Photographers and International Conflicts * 2005 Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen, The Netherlands, Traces & Omens * 2006

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

, Sydney, Australia, Dutch Decade: Photography from The Netherlands * 2007 – 2008 Willy-Brandt-Haus, Berlin, Germany, Arbeit und Alltag 1951–1992: Fotografien von Roger Melis, Martin Roemers und Walter Vogel * 2009 – 2010 Ephraim-Palais, Stadtmuseum Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Fallmauerfall , 61 – 89 – 09 Grenzueberschreitung und Grenzerfahrung im Spiegel der Kunst * 2010

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, Center for Documentary Studies, Durham USA, Daylight/CDS Photo Awards * 2010 Photofestival Bredaphoto, Breda, The Netherlands, Tilt * 2010 Noorderlicht Photofestival, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, Warzone * 2011

Museum of Estonian Architecture Estonian Museum of Architecture () is an architecture museum in Tallinn, Estonia. It is located in the Rotermann quarter. The museum is a member of International Confederation of Architectural Museums, ICAM. History The museum was established ...

, Tallinn, Estonia, Metropolis – City Life in the Urban Age * 2011 The Empty Quarter, Dubai, Metropolis 2.0 * 2011 Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen, The Netherlands, Metropolis * 2011 Sony World Photography Festival 2011, London, San Francisco, Shanghai, São Paulo * 2011 Gemeente Museum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands, Summer Exhibition * 2011 Photofestival Naarden, Naarden, The Netherlands, Let's face it * 2012 Photoville, Brooklyn, New York * 2013 Paris Photo, Paris * 2013 Photoville, New York City * 2013

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

, Syngenta Photography Award 2013, London * 2013 ART Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands * 2015 Acte2 Galerie, Paris, Urban Dreams * 2016 Biennial of Photography, Knokke-Heist, Belgium, Mexico Megalopolis

Awards

2006 World Press Photo, 2nd prize Portraits Stories The Never-Ending War * 2009 European Prize of Architectural Photography, Commendation Metropolis * 2010 Photo District News, USA, Notable Photo Books of 2010 Relics of the Cold War * 2010 Daylight/ CDS Photo Awards, USA, Project Prize: Honorable Mention Relics of the Cold War * 2010 Daylight/ CDS Photo Awards, USA, Work-in-Process Prize: Juror Pick Metropolis * 2011 World Press Photo, 1st prize Daily Life Stories Metropolis> * 2011 Sony World Photography Awards, Nomination The Eyes of War * 2013 Deutscher Fotobuchpreis, Nomination The Eyes of War

Bibliography

* Eyemazing (NL), Martin Roemers, The Never-Ending War – Tyler Whisnand, No. 8, 2005 * Foto8 (UK), Relics – Jon Levy, March 2006 * Der Spiegel (DE), Bunkermentalitaet, No. 51, 2009 * The Wall Street Journal (US), The Little Car That Could (Sort Of): a Trabant Tribute – J.S. Marcus, April 24, 2009 * Photo District News (US), Notable Photo Books of 2010, Nov. 2010 * Newsweek (US), Hello, Seven Billion – Martin Roemers, November 7, 2011 * The Guardian Weekend (UK), Kolkata by Martin Roemers – Phil Daoust, May 21, 2011 * The Wall Street Journal (US), The Beauty and Brutality of Images That Reach Far Beyond the Headlines – Joell Weickgenant, May 13, 2011 * The New Yorker (US), Goings on About Town – Martin Roemers, April 2, 2012 * The New York Photo Review (US), Urban Speed – Ed Barnas, April 18, 2012 * The New York Times (US), Sunday Review. Living in The New Metropolis – Martin Roemers, May 6, 2012 * The New York Times (US), The Bustle and the Blur – Liz Robbins, July 28, 2013 * The Wall Street Journal (US), Collector's Eye: Anthony Terrana. A Periodontist's Photographic Passion – Ellen Gamerman, March 30, 2013 * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (DE), Blinde Blicke – Andreas Kilb, October 6, 2014 * Geo (DE), Der Rhytmus in Metropolis – Juergen Schaeffer, Sept. 2014 * Collector Daily (US), Martin Roemers, Relics of the Cold War @Anastasia Photo – Loring Knoblauch July 30, 2014 * European Photography (DE), Urbanics – The Contemporary City – Andreas Mueller Pohle, #98, 2015 * Cees Nooteboom – Wat het oog je vertelt. Essay: Het onzichtbare gezien: over het werk van * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (DE), Wahnbilder einer versunkenen Epoche – Andreas Kilb, March 14, 2016 * Geo (FR), Marées urbaines – Jean Christoph Servant, Feb. 2016 * NRC Handelsblad (NL), Metropolis: chaos megasteden voelbaar – Tracy Metz, January 19, 2016 * The New Review, The Independent on Sunday (UK), Roadshow – Rachael Pells, January 10, 2016 * Photonews (DE), Der Fotograf Martin Roemers – Gunda Schwantje, Jan. 2016 * Martin Roemers, De Bezige Bij (Amsterdam, 2016),

References

External links

Martin Roemers’ official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roemers, Martin Dutch male photographers 1962 births Living people People from Groningen (province)