Mat Hennek was born in the Black Forest area of Germany in 1969 and today lives with his partner, the French pianist Hélène Grimaud, in upstate New York and California. While previously based in Berlin, Hennek created influential photographic portraits for the entertainment and music industries, before turning his attention to the natural and built landscape. He has held solo exhibitions throughout Europe, Asia and the USA. His books with Steidl are Woodlands (2017), presented with Grimaud as the multimedia concert Woodlands and Beyond… at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, combining his photos with her performance of impressionistic compositions; and Silent Cities (2020), portraits of some of the world’s great cities, all curiously lacking people and transformed into monuments of silence.