Love Of The Month Archives

LOVE HAS NO LABEL

Our latest film and editorial, Love Has No Label, is a milestone in the truest sense. A collaboration between our own Christian Ruess, filmmaker Ben Galster and photographer Andreas Knaub, it is the very essence of Container Love and of everything we stand for. We all have got a history of going against people's expectations, and doing everything to pursue happiness. Because we know that people evolve and grow and there is no way anyone can keep them hidden in the men-made cages that are stereotypes.

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AN EVER-CHANGING BODY

Berlin remains the ultimate heaven for anyone searching for their place in this world. With our new series, Container Talks, we would like to introduce you to some of the colorful, inspirational characters who made this great city their home at some point in their lives. We give you friends of our studio – pioneers, freedom fighters and the bravest of lovers. We give you beautiful diversity in movement and thoughts to take home with you. We give you the essence of the Berlin that we keep falling in love with.

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THE SEASON OF LIGHT

There is something about the never ending days of the Scandinavian summer that confuses and calms the mind at the same time. Maybe it’s the immerse amount of light and illusion it creates, the illusion of having enough time. Photographer Massimo Leardini pictures capture ultimate beauty while releasing it back into the wild, into nature. In conversation with Container Love, Massimo told us about finding his tempo as an artist, how he works with nudes and why trusting nature can help each and everyone of us to discover wonderful things.

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REDISCOVERING INNOCENCE

When we first heard about Pedro Pedreira’s latest photo book, Atrevido, we weren’t sure how to imagine seven years of the Brazilian photographer's work to be collected under one umbrella idea. We reached out to Pedro to ask him about how he worked with the over 80 models that made into the book, why it is important to him to relive memories and why presenting and consuming art offline can become a legitimate alternative for many.

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LIFE DOESN’T WAIT FOR ANYONE

Always ready for change – Spanish photographer prodigy Carlos Darder’s images set a brilliant, touching example on how one can relive memories in the long term. After falling in love with his new book, Corazón Salvaje, we asked Carlos to tell us about the way he thinks about time, composition and how he feels himself living and working in his new hometown-of-choice, Los Angeles.

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CHANGING SEASONS

To see the beauty in change – Canadian non-binary photographer and visual artist Laurence Philomene set a new standard for the ultimate self-documentary. In their new book, Puberty, we follow them through their transitioning process, exploring what living in a state of constant change can be like. We sat down with Laurence to talk about the idea behind Puberty, queer and trans people of the future and why we all should just accept that things sometimes take longer than expected.

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK

“If only I could come closer to you, maybe you would see how beautiful my construction of you is. Maybe you would then fall in love with this construction and finally with me, its creator” – Berlin-based photographer Santiago Perez is an artist of dualities. His new, gorgeous photobook, If Only I Could Come Closer To You, is a proper study on love relationships while it’s also a wonderful, visual poem about them. Santiago’s work is centred around all the different interpretations of what an amorous subject can be and how it feeds our imagination when it comes to finding someone special.

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ANALOG HUMAN STUDIES

Art is a positive outlet that allows you to transform negativity into something that you can inspire others with – Born in Siberia, Slava Mogutin is a New York based Russian-American multimedia artist and author exiled from Russia for his outspoken queer writing and activism. A third-generation writer and autodidact journalist and photographer, he became the first Russian to be granted political asylum in the US on the grounds of homophobic persecution. Slava can be described as an author, photographer, designer, multimedia artist and activist, but more importantly he’s an exceptional human being who keeps reinventing himself and his art time and again. He has been a great inspiration to us and we were happy to finally ask him some questions.

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ON THE STREETS OF LOVE

There are times when one just runs out words to describe something of great importance. We’ve been fans of Florian Hetz following his career and this is why we are very excited and also confident to say that his brand new photobook, AIKO is here to take his art to the next level. A photo diary in which nudes merge with the wonder of natural beauty and the mysterious loneliness of the pandemic, an absolute treat for anyone who’s feeling lost in these strange times.

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UNEXPLORED TERRITORIES

“The more people I’ve talked to, the more photos I took, the more I learned about the diversity of queerness” – Jesse van den Berg is a non-binary photographer based in the Netherlands. They’re on a mission putting the spotlight on people who miss representation even within the the queer communinity. We sat down with Jesse to talk about the challenges of portraying intimacy, the process of unlearning inhibitions and a brand new approach towards non-binary identity.

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A CROWN IN THE MAKING

“I like to hold space for the chaos to unfold and then try to aim a camera at it” – there seem to be no limits to Jacobus Snyman’s imagination when it comes to fashion-driven photography. The South African-born photographer considers himself a late-bloomer who believes in the power of artistic experimentation, hard work and the human body. Incidentally, these also happen to be the best three phrases for describing his magic.

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THE WILL TO LIVE

One doesn’t have to be brave to go to a place where terror ruled, but to ask the people living there about what they’ve gone through – award winning photographer Elliot Verdier went to Liberia to capture a country with a broken spirit that is yet too strong to give up its will to live. His latest photobook, Reaching for Dawn is not only an exceptional socio-cultural documentation of a latent trauma but a breathtaking work of art that everyone should see with their own eyes.

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THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

Surrendering to time never felt this easy – Ghanaian photographer Eric Asamoah shows us what the transition from boyhood to adulthood is truly about. His new series, called The Day After Tomorrow is a collection of magical pictures that will be able to change their narratives and eventually mature over time. To understand his concept better, we asked Eric to tell us more about his new, gorgeous pictures.

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REBIRTH IN REVERSE

Our love affair with South African fashion just moved into an even higher gear – follow us now to the top of the barricades of a cultural revolution with Caroline Mackintosh’s and Christian Ruess’ gorgeous project focusing on South Africa’s new design generation. A story of sun-bitten spirits and crispy new ideas told in the colors, shapes and feelings right from the southern cape of the continent.

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ABOUT THAT NEW SCHOOL

“Love means always looking out for the best in the next human being.” – Tatenda Chidora’s art is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, of wild colors and surreal setups. His work is largely based around his African identity and the idea of one’s reaction to the times we are living in, letting contemporary impulses trigger the game. Tatenda’s latest series, Thwebula, is a mixture of heritage and revolutionary visions, self awareness and self reflection in 2021’s Africa.

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TRA TERRA E CIELO

Photographer and director Maganga Mwagogo’s work needs no secret ingredients – it’s the colors, the lights, it’s the landscapes that make the Nairobi based photographer’s pictures truly stand out. Maganga’s latest collaboration with Zurich-based fashion brand Rafael Kouto is an exceptional, gorgeous series rooted in nature, the kind, the wild, the beautiful.

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CELEBRATING CULTURE AND HERITAGE

Summer is almost over. But we can't help but introduce Hiya Kaya, the SS21 collection by designer Rich Mnisi – a contemporary, multi-disciplinary fashion brand based in South Africa. We're completely in love with these colors and patterns and would love to be in this pure joy of life all day long. What we also adore is Rich Mnisi's love for nature - the styles are sustainable, the production is transparent and local, and the engagement is socially responsible. World, this is how fashion works today.

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ALL WANT TO BE SEEN, ALL WANT TO BE HEARD

We all want to be seen, we all want to be heard - South Africa’s creative industry is experiencing a renaissance with fashion designers playing a leading role in carrying the fire. We asked Cape Town-based designer Lukhanyo Mdingi about his attitude towards colors, how he’s constantly reinventing his African heritage and about his philosophy of love that is strong enough to unite not only a country, but a whole continent.