Tino Pohlmann, born in 1976 in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, grew up in East Germany. Shaped early by competitive sports, he was an active cyclist from 1986 to 1996 and attended the Sports School in Frankfurt (Oder) from 1989 onward. After moving to Berlin in 1998, he studied Design at the HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences. Since 2006, he has worked as a freelance photographer, pursuing both commissioned assignments and his own artistic projects. Since 2015, he has also taught photography at HTW Berlin.
Pohlmann’s photographic practice encompasses landscape, portrait, sports, and editorial photography. His work and numerous book projects have received a wide range of national and international awards.
This exhibition focuses on photographs from the long-term project Till I Collapse. Since 2016, Tino Pohlmann has accompanied Olympic champion and three-time Triathlon World Champion Jan Frodeno at races in Hawaii, the Allgäu region, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Nice. The result is a compelling photographic study that goes far beyond documenting athletic achievement. The project was also published in the eponymous photobook Till I Collapse – Jan Frodeno, which documents this long-term photographic exploration of the exceptional athlete.
The exhibition presents not only spectacular moments from the world of Ironman racing in Hamburg and Kona, but also the moments in between: moments of exhaustion, doubt, determination, and triumph. With remarkable intimacy, Pohlmann captures the athlete’s struggle against both his competitors and himself. His photographs tell stories of unconditional dedication, discipline, and willpower, but also of failure and resilience. They offer insight into a world in which physical and mental limits are constantly tested and redefined.
The result is a multifaceted portrait of an exceptional athlete and, at the same time, a reflection on ambition, endurance, and the human capacity to embrace new challenges time and again.
“Every goal achieved marks the beginning of something new, just like in a great cycling race. We stand at the starting line, ready for the next adventure.” — Tino Pohlmann