Marlon Krieger

NYC under Quarantine

2020-05-07T17:15:00.000-04:00

Travels | Sri Lanka

2019-05-09T03:28:00.001-04:00

Exploring the warm colors and bright smiles of Sri Lanka by train and motorcycle. This journey was a few months back before the latest unrest and violence broke out.

Travels | India

2018-04-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

My first trip to India this past month was pretty much what I had expected. Delicious, heart-wrenching, exhausting, shocking and magical.

I was overwhelmed by the intensity, the noise, the pollution and by the richness of the culture, flavors and people. I had never seen such a deluge of humanity. I wanted to try to capture those emotions, with a whimsical hand and a loose street-photography style. I wanted to show the warmth of people but also the intensity I felt in my first 10 days in this country.

This confluence of emotion made me incredibly curious to know and understand more. To try and grasp the history, cultures, and politics of this massive country. How it came to be where it is today, from the Indo-Aryan people, to the rise of Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism through the massive empires and the onslaught of European and Russian conquests.

Riding Royal Enfields through the Munnar Region and Anamalai Tiger Reserve we spent 10 hour days on the motorcycle through a magical countryside that I can only describe as ‘Alice in Wonderland’ goes to Avatar’s Pandora. The escape from Mumbai was welcome and the temperate climate uplifting. A heavy fog shrouded the hills in mystery and a light mist created a surreal glossy landscape with surprising colors.

Pulled over on the side of the road of day four. I was enduring an 11 hour ride on the motorcycle, and a case of ‘Indian belly’. I sloth-ily pulled over at 10am, already tired and beaten, looking for something warm to put in my stomach. He served me chai and sweet crackers roadside, which kept me going long enough until I had to pull over again to hurriedly fumble for my toilet paper. His charm came with an air of indifference, and a handsome confidence. His mustache game was strong.

Roadside in the Munnar region a blue biblical painting pops against the grey sky and warm tones of the buildings and sand around it.

Back in the streets of Mumbai, swerving through the oppressive heat, the pungent and delicious smells, the mass of humanity in a constant state of honking, yelling and selling was wonderfully exciting. Yet again it was the people that never failed to surprise and delight with smiles and charm.

Infinity Series | Pastels

2018-03-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

Infinity’s reflection of your soul is clouded only by your unwillingness to look

Walking towards infinity is daunting. It requires perseverance and an unflinching hunger. To survive you must be able to dig deep within yourself, you must be willing to grab your own soul on a molecular level and strangle it, encourage it, love it and hate it.

Part of the Infinity Series

Travels | December in Vietnam

2018-01-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

Traveling the Ha Giang Province was probably my favorite part of our trip to Vietnam. In part because of our mode of transportation, a Honda RX125, and in part because of the magnificent landscapes, often hugged by mist. The surrounding where serene and inspiring, and the people incredibly friendly. The food delicious.

Most of the roads are single lane, at times paved, and at other times muddy and rocky. The lanes are barely wide enough for a car and a motorcycle to squeeze by at the same time, and people in cars generally don’t seem to care about our lives. We ride through softly curved roads dotted with small villages; kids give chase, reaching out for high-fives as we drive by.

Through valleys and mountains the temperatures change from 45 degrees in the shade to a toasty 70 in the sun.

We stop for a variety of street snacks sold on the side of the road from woven baskets and make-shift grills.

Even in these small mountains town's you'll occasionally find one restaurant catering to tourists, with big chairs and muted flavors. You can't escape the gringo trail.

We prefer to squat on the tiny stools roadside where restaurants tend to specialize in only one dish such Pho, Ban Quon, or Bun Cha.

We pass an old French fort and pull over on the side of the road to eat one of the snacks we had bought earlier in the morning. A sweet, doughy bread roll. A man walked past us with a woven backpack slung over one shoulder; rugged and handsome he walked without a care in the world. He greeted us with a big wave, and a string of Vietnamese we couldn't understand. We split our sweet loaf in half and watched him smile at the sugary treat. He waved again and kept walking.

I'm not sure where he was off to, the nearest town we passed was a day's walk.

Cristine | Hearts on the Ground | Post 3/3

2017-11-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

Cristine has survived years of childhood sexual violence from her step-father Dale, a healer in her community. Her story was one of the first I heard, beginning to end. The emotional control her perpetrator used to groom Cristine at a young age, the sexual violence that began and lasted for 8 years, and her healing journey. She spoke with confidence, knowledge and a deeper understanding that surprised me. Her eyes stared straight ahead, open and bare, and she told me her pain, and that of her people. For hours we spoke, then I came back and we spoke for many more hours, many more times

I found her laughter to be heart warming. Often she would laugh as a way of saying "obviously", and it put me at ease, seeing her eyes crinkle and sparkle- maybe because I knew of the pain behind them, maybe because I needed reassurance that the horrors Cristine went through in her life- don't always destroy you.

I did notice little things, the knives strategically placed in every room of her house, including one by her bed, or her insistence to always sit with her back facing the wall if she's outside her own home. Her past sometimes comes through the cracks, but I know the strength that she gets from her culture and her spirituality, which has gotten her this far, will always be there for her. Her battle cry is loud.

The statistics clearly show that 86 percent of Native American folks who are raped describe their offender as non-Indian, pointing to the source of the epidemic of sexual violence in Native American communities as one of colonization, historical events and judicial isolation. Afraid to convolute this reality I was unsure of how Cristine's experience fit into the larger story. Until I was able to understand that the harmful government policies, that began with an official government edict of “annihilate or assimilate” centuries ago, has bled into the present day and created a poisonous reality for indigenous folks that has fostered a cycle of violence within their own communities.

To hear more about Cristine’s story, the cycle of violence and what the boarding school era meant for indigenous peoples in this country check out the short documentary Hearts on The Ground.

www.HeartsOnTheGround.com

Nikki | Hearts on the Ground | Post 2/3

2017-11-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

We used motion blur to not show Nikki's face. I always felt this image was very fitting to our conversation. Many Native American's refer to themselves as 'Invisible'.

Sitting in the dreary, clinical conference room where she worked, Nikki showed me a pretty wary cold-shoulder when we first met. The room was dominated by large tables clustered together. We sat a few seats apart, not quite across from each other, and not quite next to each other. She passionately talked about judicial loopholes, explained Public Law 280 and blood quantum to me. When she began telling me her personal story her voice became monotone and disconnected, her eyes hollow.

We talked for an hour and a half, at which point she allowed me to take a picture of her without showing her face.

I was grateful for everything I had learned, but walking to my car that first morning I was aware that something was missing from our exchange. I felt like I was skidding along the surface instead of digging in, that I hadn't connected. I knew she had wanted to say more, that there was more for me to understand, but I also knew it wasn’t my place to ask.

Nikki at home

That evening, as I sat in my motel room trying to process my thoughts, Nikki called me to arrange another interview, at her house.

We sat first outside on her porch, and then inside in her living room. We talked about her life, her fears and her nightmares. We talked about perpetrators, cultures and dominant society. I saw her laugh and I saw her cry. She allowed me to take pictures of her.

Nikki has been abused multiple times by different perpetrators, not an uncommon reality among Native Americans. She deals with PTSD from her abuse and has battled weight problems stemming from her emotional and psychological battles. She is slow to trust and I will never forgot the suspicion, heavy in her eyes that first day. Now I see the Nikki that is full of life and laughter. She is determined and strong willed, always trying to improve and overcome and help those who have survived similar experiences through outreach and mentoring. Even in her dark hours, when triggers send her reeling inwards, I know her battle cry is strong.

www.HeartsOnTheGround.com

Nikki recounting her childhood and her perpetrator Keith

Hearts on the Ground | Post 1/3

2017-11-02T13:00:00.001-04:00

Looking out onto the vast,
wintry landscape
of Minnesota
I saw loneliness and isolation.

I see the fruitless land
that the indigenous people of this country
were forced upon,
the rocky, barren, and waterlogged properties
they were told to cultivate or die in.
In these wintry landscapes
I saw the judicial and social isolation
these communities
have endured, and feel today.

I see the scary loneliness
a survivor must feel.
It made me cry to stand there,
in the cold,
and it makes me cry
writing now what I felt after all these years.

There is beauty in this story, and there is hope. Over the next few days I will introduce you to Nikki and Cristine.

www.HeartsOnTheGround.com

On-assignment in Seville, Spain

2017-10-23T13:32:00.000-04:00

Plaza de España

August, 110 degrees in the shade. At least the heat was dry, and the sangria cold.

Indigenous Peoples' Day replaces Columbus Day

2017-10-09T11:48:00.000-04:00

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, officially designated as such in 55 cities, and in some cases, like in Los Angeles, officially replacing Columbus Day.

In Morocco with Anthropologie

2017-08-27T14:33:00.001-04:00

Very excited for Anthropologie's September catalog. Creatively they did a wonderful job embodying the spirit of the brand, capturing epic settings and adding an air of playful adventure. I had the pleasure of shooting behind the scenes for them and the great honor of working with legend Amber Valletta and the talented Constance Jablonski. Some of my favorite images from BTS below, checkout their website and catalog for the campaign. www.anthropologie.com

Amber Valletta for Anthropologie

'Hearts on the Ground' featured on ViewFind

2017-08-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, for the past five years I have been working on a project called “Hearts on the Ground”, a photo essay and short documentary.

The Dakota 38 for The Economist's 1843 Magazine

2017-03-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

Last December I was on assignment for The Economist's 1843 Magazine in South Dakota to follow The Dakota 38 Riders. They travel 330 miles from Lower Brule Indian Reservation to the site of a mass-hanging in Mankato, Minnesota every December to honor 38 men that where hung.

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

2017-01-21T22:32:00.003-05:00

The most amazing part of today was seeing so many people of difference backgrounds, circumstances and experiences representing their different interests and aspirations. Coming together to speak as one voice.

Documenting a Fashion Set

2017-01-06T10:59:00.001-05:00

Anais Mali on set with photographer Tom Craig for Anthropologie

Last year, I had the opportunity to explore the intersection of documentary and fashion while working for Anthropologie. I've spent years traveling and exploring communities, getting strangers to open up to me in person, and on-camera. I've met charming, beautiful, kind, mean, despicable and intriguing people in those years and overcame many challenges.
Read more »

Stand With Standing Rock

2016-12-05T17:10:00.003-05:00

Image from my project "Hearts on the Ground"

Today was a historic moment and a step in the right direction. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided not to grant the easement to cross Lake Oahe for the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In Scotland with Anthropologie

2016-11-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

In the last few months I've had the opportunity to do some work that is different from what I normally focus on. Traveling with and documenting behind the scenes moments for Anthropologie. It's been an incredible experience and it has given me the opportunity to work with a very talented crew. I've found the intersection of documentary and fashion to be very inspiring visually.

Scouting Wyoming

2016-08-04T11:09:00.000-04:00

On a recent location scout for Anthropologie, I was in Wyoming digging as I do for great moments, people and places. I hadn't been back since climbing in the Winds two years ago but had a pretty good idea of what to expect and what I needed to find. Normally, memories tend to do a lot for over-glamorizing reality, polishing it, and embellishing it. In the case of Wyoming, my memory completely came up short. It was more spectacular than I remembered and I remember it being pretty magical. The big powerful sky, the open expanse and the stark stoic mountains - all capped by light fluffy clouds. The palette was warm, the sunlight soft and the colors rich and earthy.

A few images and moments from Wyoming:

Obama in Cuba and an Island still in the Stream

2016-03-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

President Obama is the first sitting U.S. President to visit Cuba in 88 years.

With the historic political changes currently occurring between the Obama administration and the Castro regime, Cuba is poised for change. Over time we will see cultural, socio-economic and structural changes to an island that has been frozen in time for decades.

New York City

2016-01-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

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New Years Day Ritual

2016-01-01T23:24:00.003-05:00

The last few years I've had a ritual of waking up early on New Years day and doing a little bit of all the things I want my year to be about...

2015-12-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

Last week I was on assignment for Intelligent Life Magazine. I joined a historian, archaeologist and a writer in the chase for parrots and archaeological evidence in the warm Caribbean waters. Story in the upcoming issue of Intelligent Life, written by Charles Laurence.

Political Interview

2015-12-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

On December 17th, 2015 I had the distinct pleasure of filming an interview with Member of Parliament Abdilrahman Jama of the Wadanni Party of Somaliland, interviewed by Adrian Tawfik for Democracy Chronicles.

Member of Parliament Abdilrahman Jama

22nd Annual Veteran's Powwow

2015-07-29T11:16:00.001-04:00

Continuing my work on "Hearts on the Ground" I returned to Minnesota over the July 11th weekend to attend the largest Veteran's Powwow in the nation on Fond du Lac Reservation. Relative to population, Indian country has the largest number of volunteers that have served our nation's defenses.

The event was an amazing experience for myself and incredibly important for the project. To witness the different generations celebrate their history, culture and sacred beliefs reminded me of what American Indians are fighting for and why. This will play an important role in the story we are telling. The weekend was filled with traditional music, dancing and food.

Recent Instagram posts

2015-05-13T18:42:00.000-04:00

In case you aren't on Instagram or we aren't connected (@marlonkrieger) my latest posts:

April 30, 2015 | At 730pm the streets are full of boys leaving school, no girls in sight.