Bo Bungarten

Bo Bungarten is a photographer based in Cologne whose journey into photography began with visual design. After studying communication design, Bo increasingly shifted his focus to photography and subsequently earned a degree in photography. The connection between these two disciplines shapes Bo’s approach, creating an interplay of photographic and graphic elements.
At the heart of Bo’s photographic work is an exploration of personal inner worlds and the processes of identity formation. Queer and trans perspectives often serve as a central starting point for his work.

"My name is Bo, and I'm a photographer based in Cologne. I studied photography and graduated about a month ago; I've got my degree now. Before that, I studied communication design, where I was already doing a lot of work related to photography. Right now, I'm mostly working in graphic design, but I'd much rather focus more on photography.
In my work, I often explore inner worlds, where queer and trans identities play a major role, as well as simply everything that might be going on in my mind or in other people’s minds.

The work “NO BEFORE” was my graduation project. It’s also a personal project that’s partly about how the past isn’t something that’s been closed off, but rather a part of who I am and who I will become.
Above all, the way I’ve edited it—in this particular order—it’s also a bit of a journey from the past to who I am today. Although this “true self” doesn’t really exist in that sense, because you’re constantly reinventing yourself. But still, this is something where, as it comes to an end, I increasingly feel that I’m comfortable in my body, comfortable with the way I present myself to others, and can simply be more myself.

I often got feedback from other people that they found this very strong or brave of me. I can understand it in some way, because it’s a topic that isn’t really shown openly very often. But for me, it was much more natural, and I didn’t really worry that much about how other people might see it or how they might react.

When I take photos, I don’t really think too much about what the final product should look like. But I really love having something tangible that I can actually hold in my hands, keep with me, and show people directly. I think it still has a different quality than just seeing it on a website or social media.

I graduated about a month ago, and with that, that one space where I was in this photography bubble has disappeared. And because I’m now in this in-between space—between finishing my studies and a future that’s really uncertain—I thought it was really great that this is now a step in that direction.

When I talk about “space,” I don’t really mean a physical room you’re in, but rather a community: being with people who share similar views and interests, where you feel comfortable with one another, can talk about topics that matter to you, and where you simply feel safe.”

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