Emotions in Motion

Reminiscent of Walker Evans’ 1966 classic, Many Are Called, Lebanese-born, English photographer Toufic Beyhum’s photographs of passengers on Berlin’s U-Bahn capture a diverse cast of characters. Beyhum reveals what so many of us see on our daily commute: lovers and loners, the young and the old, punks and businessmen, people sleeping, dogs, graffiti, litter. Captured in the flat light while traveling together underground, everyone seems more similar than they might on the street. Like Evans, Beyhum seems to capture the private thoughts of his subjects as they space out, unaware of the people around them--though some do stare defiantly into the camera, while in other shots Beyhum pulls back to include more of the train or station. Also a senior art director in advertising, Beyhum’s work is colorful, dynamic and precise. This is his first monograph.

by: Toufic Beyhum