Berlin-based photographer Jens Koch’s art is rather daring. His photos are coincidentally cheeky, charming and empathic. Spectators often award them for their affecting and liberating qualities, which cause amazement and reflection. By looking at Koch’s portrayed characters, people frequently imagine observing themselves. For a very good reason. Photography is art. We want to look at one another. In Jens Koch’s view, his photos are contemporaries, “Weltanschauung”, pop, spectacle. They’re always on the move, swinging with a vengeance. They seldom feed on silence, but always on astonishment. Koch doesn’t look for the spotlight himself, instead he lets his pictures do the talking. Born in 1981 and raised in Leipzig, Jens Koch was based in Cologne before he found the ideal hotbed for his photographic language in Berlin. His first commissions came from newspapers after he’d taken photos of befriended actor of his. To him, photography is a pop-cultural tool. Though fine precision work is very obviously underlying his art, his photos seem easy. He describes himself as a „collector of characters“. This aptly, but narrowly articulated self- understanding is due to his modesty. Jens Koch is capable of educing character within minutes. That’s his art.