Photographer focuses on London youth for new book

In a new book Julian Mährlein, a student at Goldsmiths, University of London, takes a fresh look at young people living in London.

London Youth shows an alternative side to young people in the capital through the lens of fashion photography. Inner city London and its inhabitants are often portrayed negatively by the media, but the book contradicts these representations by pairing striking photographs alongside the subjects’ thoughts on modern life.

The 2011 London riots that engulfed the city acted as a source of inspiration for the photographer, and he took to the streets of the capital to capture young people who caught his eye.

Julian started collating photographs for the book in early 2012, a few years before beginning the Art & Politics course at Goldsmiths and said that in hindsight “the input that I got from the course helped to contextualise the body of work that I had collected… and influenced the editing and layout process.”. The series was shot with natural light and mostly in urban environments where young people play football, basketball, skate or cycle.

Julian, who grew up in Germany, says that his time at Goldsmiths was “crucial” in informing his work as a photographer. He covers social and political topics in his work, and the art and politics course provided him with the tools to navigate both disciplines.

He said: “being part of the course allowed me to rethink new ways of representation, and the strong focus on political theory provided a ground where my interests in theoretical concepts and in their application on practical photographic work could meet.”

Julian Mährlein’s photography has been featured in the British Journal of Photography, Dazed Digital, AnOther Magazine, and the BBC. More about London Youth on the Hoxton Mini Press website.