2020 Sony Professional Grant © Ronny Behnert
Venezia - Perfect Imperfection
Venice in Northern Italy is one of the only cities that gives every visitor the possibility to travel back in time. Ronny Behnert is one of them. He travels to Venice at least four times a year, after falling for its old buildings, streets and canals some time ago, to try and portray the city’s hidden beauty and quietness through his camera. Venice attracts many visitors each year, yet behind the crowds there's a vulnerable aspect to the city, which is only visible for people who risk taking a closer look behind the dusty curtain of Venice.
Ronny Behnert goes beyond the tourist hot spots – that are the Piazza San Marco, San Giorgio Maggiore and Ponte di Rialto, – to reach the places he wants to photograph. By documenting those lesser known areas, he highlights how this wonderful city is facing an urgent threat: climate change. Mass tourism has not helped to stop the water from rising and flooding the streets of Venice. The water on which the city is built is trying to take control. After receiving the Sony Professional Grant, Ronny Behnert will return to Venice, research more hidden places and put the transformations occurring throughout the streets and canals in the spotlight to bring awareness to the urgent threat.
Ronny Behnert was born in Luckenwalde, a small city in the south of Berlin, Germany. Since 1989 he lives and works in Berlin. He's been actively working on photography since January 2007. He works for various newspapers and magazines while continuously developing his skills and knowledge. He never wants to give up his amateur spirit.