Florian Hetz: The Matter of Flesh

I would have to come up with an elaborate lie if I had to tell you how I know Florian. I just know him – from around, through his work, from the apps. His eyes are as piercing as his work. He looks right through your superficial shell and into your dusty soul with a series of images feeding on anonymity and the constant hunger for more fast food and sex. Through photography, the photographer by day / bartender manager at Berghain by night explores the human body, the beauty in the ugly, and the ugliness in beauty. I remember seeing more and more images popping up in my Tumblr Dashboard and then one day hearing about his solo show and upcoming book publication. Florian and I chatted about his models and intimate work. Make sure to grab his book The Matter of Absence on Amazon.

Why are you creating art? What drives you?
That stuff is in my head and needs to get out.

Where do you find your models?
They usually find me. Luckily I get a lot of offers from guys that want to be in front of my camera. I’m not using grindr for hook ups but in my profile text is written that I’m looking for confident guys that are willing to drop their pants for photos and a link to my Instagram.

Can you tell me a story of a model?
In December 2016 I had the honour to shoot a young man who got 80% of his skin burnt severely in an accident. I have tons of respect for this ridiculoulsy handsome fellow who fought his way back to life and manages to have the most winning smile ever. He’s beautiful on the inside and the outside.

Do you have another day job?
The photos turn more and more into a day job. The book is selling pretty well and I’m having more and more exhibitions. The next one will be on the March 31st, 2017 in Los Angeles.But I also do production management for agencies and post production jobs for other photographers.