About the Artist
Katarina Benzova is an award-winning Slovak-born photographer, videographer, and art director based in Los Angeles. For more than a decade, she has worked at the heart of rock music, documenting some of the most influential artists of our time from a uniquely intimate perspective.
She began her career as the tour photographer for Guns N’ Roses in 2010, an experience that shaped her immersive approach to capturing life on and off stage. Since then, she has photographed legendary musicians including AC/DC, Aerosmith, KISS, Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne, and Anthony Kiedis, among many others. Her images are born from proximity and trust, revealing moments of intensity, vulnerability, and transcendence that unfold in the charged space between artist and audience.
Her work has appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Vogue, Billboard, and LIFE, and in global campaigns for brands including Leica Camera, Maserati, Gibson and Fender. In 2023, she was named a Leica Ambassador.
Benzova’s fine art prints are represented by Morrison Hotel Gallery and collected internationally. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including during the Cannes Film Festival and at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography.
In 2017, Katarina established her own foundation, MISSION 11, which produces photographic campaigns and services for charitable organizations, including Animals Asia, Janie’s Fund, The Wolf Conservation Center, and DoVE Project. These campaigns have featured star talent from Jason Momoa and Axl Rose to Moby, Steven Tyler, and Steve O, among many others.
“I’m drawn to the moments when musicians become lightning rods — when something larger moves through them. Those seconds on stage when the soul is completely exposed.”
Through her lens, music is not simply documented — it is felt.
