A.K.Mayr
About
A.K. Mayr began his photography career at the renowned Sygma Photo News Agency in New York, where he developed a distinctive visual language shaped by the dynamic intersection of photojournalism and conceptual art.
He studied anthropology at Harvard University and later earned a Ph.D. from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, grounding his artistic practice in rigorous intellectual inquiry.
Over the years, he has collaborated with artists across disciplines, including visual figures such as Richard Dailey, Hilton McConnico, and Mark Boswell.
One of his most acclaimed projects, The United Nations is Decadent and Depraved—co-created with Boswell—was nominated for the Kandinsky Prize in 2010, marking a milestone in his experimental practice.
In 2000, he became a finalist in the Search for Art international competition sponsored by Mandarina Duck.
From 1998 to 2007, he taught art theory at the Parsons School of Design in Paris, mentoring a generation of emerging creatives.
Between 2010 and 2020, he co-published the Russian Riviera, a high-end Russian-language magazine distributed across Europe and the U.S., alongside Georgian artist Gela Partiachvili.
Mayr's photographic work has appeared in international publications such as Esquire, The Economist, Ramp, Time, and Colta, reflecting his ability to bridge editorial, artistic, and cultural spheres.
His work has been widely exhibited throughout Europe and the United States, in galleries and museums, often exploring themes of identity, power, and media distortion with a sharp, ironic edge.