Biography
Thomas Wagner catches glimpses of a future while reporting on sustainability, nature conservancy and community. He is based in Bremen, Germany, and Bogotá, Colombia.
Born in socialist East Germany, Wagner lived more than a decade in Venezuela and Colombia and photographed and reported on various parts of Latin America, as well as countries outside Latin America including the Democratic Republic of Kongo, Serbia and Kosovo. In his work, Wagner has portrayed communities that resist and survive thanks to models of cooperation while dealing with an absent, weak or even threatening state.
He studied photography in Caracas with the maestro Nelson Garrido. He is a member of the German association of photographers Freelens, the Foreign Press Association in Colombia (APIC) and an alumno of the journalists network.
Before pursuing a career as a photographer, Wagner worked five years as an editor and correspondent for the news agency Agence France-Presse in Berlin. He was also the Head of Communications of German cooperation agency GIZ in Bogotá, Colombia, and the Communication Officer for Latin America for NGO Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. He has a M.A. in Communication Sciences and Politics and a Master in International Cooperation. He speaks fluently German, English, Spanish and mediocre French.
Grants – Exhibitions
2022 Photopia, Hamburg
2022 Oberstdorfer Fotogipfel
2022 Auf Grund, Berlin
2021 ProfiFoto Canon New Talent Award 21/2
2021 VG Wort Grant for Blackout
2020 Group Scholarship of the Secretaría General Iberoamericana for development of maritime drone to detect microplastics
2020 Grant of Stiftung Kulturwerk for photo project about Venezuelan migrants in Colombia
Clients (Selection)
Arcadia akzente Berliner Zeitung Caritas international Caritas Schweiz chrismon Das Magazin Der Spiegel Der Standard Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe FAO FAZ FAZ Magazin Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung Financial Times Deutschland Frankfurter Rundschau Getty Images GIZ NZZ am Sonntag profil Sparkassenstiftung Spiegel Online Stern Online Stuttgarter Nachrichten Süddeutsche Zeitung Südkurier Suomi Kuvalehti The Miami Herald World Vision Zeit ZeitMagazin Zeit Online