Michael Wolf was born in 1954 in Munich, Germany. He grew up in the United States, Europe and Canada, and studied at UC Berkeley and at the Folkwang School in Essen, Germany. In 1994, Wolf moved to Hong Kong and worked for eight years as a contract photographer for Stern magazine, until he left to pursue his own projects. Wolf's photographic work in Asia focuses on the city and its architectural structures, and follows on from his interest in people and human interaction. He has published seven photobooks to date. Wolf's work has been exhibited extensively in galleries and art fairs throughout the world since 2005, and is held in permanent collections across the US and Germany. Wolf has won a World Press Photo award three times; in 2005 (Contemporary Issues, first prize stories), 2010 (Daily Life, first prize singles) and 2011 (Contemporary Issues, Honorable Mention prize stories.)