Text via Slate
Photos by Adam Krause
Photographer Adam Krause was at his local gym when he first met the guys who’d become the subjects of his series “Greenpoint Brooklyn Nazi Skinheads.” Krause grew up in Florida and was part of a tough punk rock community himself. “I knew the guys were skinheads after recognizing a racist band on one of their T-shirts. I think my background of being involved in the punk scene just helped me identify these guys, similar to someone interested in cars probably can identify a certain model of car,” he said in an email.
Krause spent a few weeks with his subjects, photographing them in fatigues alongside Nazi regalia, sometimes with bandanas covering their faces to obscure their identity. “It’s a collaborative effort. I photograph my subjects in places that are intrinsic to them. In some cases the subjects don’t want to be photographed in their homes, so we went to places where they’d hang out,” he said.
Krause and his subjects had an understanding that he didn’t personally agree with their views. But Krause said he earned their trust because he understood their background and treated them with respect. “All my grandparents were in the Holocaust,” he told Medium. “I had all of that weight growing up. That being said, I’m a very unbiased person — I’m not judging anybody at all. I have done very stupid things in my life. While I obviously don’t subscribe to what those guys believe in, I understand where someone could have an opposing view to what mainstream culture and society have in mind. I’m really good at removing myself from the situation, and not having to express any emotion.”
Krause’s lifelong interest in subcultures is reflected in his work, including his series of obsessive Morrissey fans and Florida’s alligator hunters. “This series of photographs is not much different to the other subculture-related photo stories I’ve completed,” he said. “If I get interested in a certain subject and find a way to get access to its members, I’ll try to photograph them.”
Cory John William Kamermans
November 16, 2013 at 4:15 pm
i can’t help but wonder how many of those guys have jewish or african american in them.
Ian Henry
November 11, 2013 at 9:26 am
Wow. This is the point were exploring the dark side of things goes too far. There is no reason to respect fascists.
CVLT Nation
November 11, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Believe me, there is no respect for these scumbags here! But we thought it was interesting that in such a multicultural city like Brooklyn, known for its large black community and hipster community, that there’s a Nazi subculture. No one thinks of them when they think of Brooklyn.
RiffRaff Rackus
November 12, 2013 at 11:59 am
true artists can transcend politics. the guy said that he didn’t share their view, but found them interesting, and apparently enough to be inspired. i have a feeling if Krause photographed antifa members, (who have stolen a page or two from the fascist tactic handbook, i.e. attacking fans at a certain infamous neofolk act’s recent tour.) , most wouldn’t mind. i’m not aiming this post at you ian, as i don’t know your stance on antifa, i simply replied underneath your comment, do to the “respect fascist” part.
Ian Henry
November 14, 2013 at 8:04 am
Yah people wouldn’t mind because nazis views are racist and bigotry. I’m not gonna say weather someone should or should not make art like this, but doing so provides a space for nazis to express themselves, regardless of how the artist feels about there views. Doing so letigtimizes their views to a certain degree and that’s something to be considered.
RiffRaff Rackus
November 16, 2013 at 6:31 pm
while i don’t agree with hating anyone simply based off of their race,i also don’t agree with groups like antifa, who can’t make a distinction between art and politics. a group that also uses vandalism violence and poorly executed terror tactics to get their message across to people whom they deem “racist” and or “fascist”. all that being said, if an artist who harbors no political agenda felt inspired to take similar photos of this group, that i cannot personally stand, i wouldn’t judge the piece by who is in the photo. truly how many people do you think could be swayed into believing the neo nazi rhetoric by simply seeing photos of them. stupid sheep perhaps, but anyone with any intelligence knows how to think for themselves. and simple minded folks will remain simple.
Joey Stone
November 11, 2013 at 5:07 am
These are Nazis not true Skinheads. Also some of the photographers comments are completely fucking mind blowing. cool pictures.
CVLT Nation
November 11, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Totally agree! http://www.cvltnation.com/spirit-of-69-the-stolen-culture-of-the-skinhead