Erik Chmil: Solitude

Erik Chmil’s travels and photo expeditions around the world provided the inspiration for “Solitude”, his picture series of abandoned car parks. The result is magnificent photographic works of art whose ordered aesthetic and contemplative aura enchant the viewer, as well as revealing the stories of the different locations when examined more closely. The photographer Erik Chmil (* 1968) is famous for his photos within the automobile sector, in which he presents vehicles in atmospheric locations. In his latest photographs he plays with the curious fact that his usual “model” is not on view. Chmil travelled the world in search of emotive parking areas and photographed them at the precise moment when no car was actually parked there – often a question of patience. The result is much more than simply shots of empty parking spaces under different lighting conditions: these fascinating snapshots show silence, loneliness and longing and bear witness to the secrets and history of these spaces.