From the Dalai Lama to Mike Tyson and Manila’s vigilante death squads — photographer Gerhard Joren has seen the world’s extremes through his lens.

Standing six-foot-five, Joren somehow disappears behind the camera, patiently waiting for moments of truth. “I’m like an elephant in the room,” he laughs. “But I want the shot to feel like I was never there.”

A Swedish-born self-taught photographer, Joren began his career in 1980s New York, hustling for work, sleeping in train stations, and chasing stories others overlooked. His journey has taken him to Nevada brothels, North Korea’s secretive parades, Japanese adult film sets, and more.

“I consider myself a traveller with a camera,” he says. “I take photographs to survive. Every great shot keeps the journey going.”

Now based in Bangkok, Joren presents his first major retrospective: Walk on the Wild Side, featuring 120 powerful black-and-white images (18+).

The exhibition opens May 3 at Chaloem La Art House, opposite Bangkok Graffiti Park, one minute from Ratchathewi BTS.

“This show is raw, human, and unforgettable,” says gallery owner Pumarin Wilkinson. “You’ll meet everyone from celebrities to strippers, gangsters to monks. It’s a window into a wild, fascinating world.”