Ulrich Brinkhoff

Ulrich Brinkhoff (born 1940 in Holzminden/Weser, Germany) is a German photographer and writer.

Ulrich Brinkhoff 2015 in Korea

Life and work

Born during the first stage of World War II, his father an air-force pilot, his mother a bookseller, Brinkhoff was mainly raised by his grandparents, after the divorce of his parents in 1947 by his mother only. 1949 he got a step-father, shortly after he ran away and lived in the home of an uncle in Stadtoldendorf, 15 km away from Holzminden and his school.

In 1952 he took part in a photo-competition and won a money price, from which he bought his first better camera. Until then he was using the old AGFA-Box camera of his mother.

In 1960 he finished his apprenticeship as insurance salesman. From 1961 until 1972 he worked for the German Foreign Ministry as diplomat and served at German Embassies in Sierra Leone, South-Korea, South-Vietnam and Bolivia.

Ulrich Brinkhoff (right), with Johannes Eidt (left) in Eidts Atellier in Osnabrück.

October 1965 he married in Seoul the Korean SooRyun Hyung-Sook KIM. She died 1975 in a car-crash in Germany.

During the Vietnam war 1968 in Saigon he has saved the life of his Ambassador Ulrich Scheske. German President Heinrich Luebke honoured this by conferring him with the "Bundesverdienstmedaille" (Federal Merit medal).[1]

After his return to Germany in 1972 he worked as an export manager for several German companies until 1988. Since 1989 he works as photo-artist, also as freelancer and since 2013 as well as writer. As photographer he denies digital manipulation of any of his photos. He uses small digital cameras only, pointing out that a good photo depends on a good eye, not on expensive cameras.

Since 2007 his main interest lays on street art and street theatre,[2] making him travel to visit festivals all over the world, mostly in Spain and France, especially in South-Korea the Hi-Seoul-Festival and the Goyang Lake Park Art Festival.[3] His favourite city is since 1966 HongKong, which makes him visit it almost every year.

Don Justo Gallego Martínez on the roof of his cathedral together with German artist Ulrich Brinkhoff

Late September 2013 his first book was published, translated title "Dreams in the morning calm", referring to his life in South-Korea from 1964 to 1965. It contains many fotos from that period, but also from today (1911). May 2014 the resumption followed with the translated title "Nightmares along the Saigon-River". The Trilogy was completed January 2016 with "Carnival at Lake Titicaca". The trilogy explains the private and official life as a diplomat at German Embassies and specially the life of Brinkhoff`s wife SooRyun, starting as housewife, thereafter as model, and finally stewardess for LUFTHANSA, also her tragic death in a car crash 1975, aged 28.[4]

From 1989 until 1992 Brinkhoff was member of the town council of Greven (North-Rhine-Westfalia), where he is living and working since 1987.Brinkhoff is married an has 2 grown-up boys.

Honours and awards
  • 1999: gold medal with „Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit“ for „Verbindung“
  • 2005: gold medal with „1st World of Images Circuit“
  • 2005: gold medal with „Trierenberg Super Circuit“ (ex Hasselblad A. S. C.) for „Hinter Glas“
  • 1968: "Bundesverdienstmedaille" (Federal Merit medal).[1]

References
  1. "newspaper article about Brinkhoff".
  2. "newspaper article about his work in street art".
  3. "newspaper article about his first book".
  4. [1] blurb of the memorial novel of Brinkhoffs last book.
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