Johann Bisesti: The Beauty behind the surface
New entry Johann BISETI’s work doesn’t appeal to the retina, but what sits behind it. This is partly due to his rejection of every type of digital eye candy he is confronted with. It is also due to his sense of space and time. Sometimes one feels as if one has been transported into Godard’s ‘Breathless’, sometimes the eye wonders as if it were in a museum over the landscapes of beautiful and mysterious faces. Biseti comes up with new ways of expressing himself, because he isn’t a slave to trends. He is an advocate of pure photography, his tools are the analogue, black and white and everything beautiful in between.
Knotan: S.OLIVER Spring/Summer campaign
Knotan was recently invited by S. OLIVER to shoot the Spring/Summer collection. The Swedish photographer was the ideal choice to kick off the season with a fresh new collection and roll out their new campaign. Usually known for his otherwise raw and provocative subject matter, it’s his ability to inject a sense of fun and spontaneity into his work that particularly appealed to the well-established German fashion brand.
From smart summery ensembles to T-Shirts with attitude, S. OLIVER’S colourful new range is brought to life with Knotan’s inherent ability to tickle some fresh fun and attitude out of his subjects. Finally, we can all whip out our sunglasses, because thanks to Knotan, spring really is in the air!
Denis Rouvre: ‘Eden’ – sculptural choreography and nude portraits
Denis ROUVRE’s personal work has always evolved around his fascination with the human character. This time he turns his attention to another form of purity, that of the human body and the expression of its sexual desires.
He was inspired by a poem entitled ‘Eden’, which describes a hedonistic state of Eden where we are freed of any form of judgment or taboos, where our naked bodies are weightless, and there’s not really much else to do other than shamelessly make love all day long (we’re guessing this was before Eve got peckish and fancied a bit of sinful fresh fruit).
In this new project, Rouvre invited people of all shapes, shades, and sizes, to let go of all inhibitions within ephemerally lit glasslike cubes. Although the actual space is physically limiting, the sexual fantasies often seem to defy gravity and take place in a boundless and heavenly space that conjures up the sense of freedom one might have if not weighed down by any form of moral or aesthetic judgement.
The sculptural choreography of the intertwined bodies reminds us, as does the poem, that there is a universal beauty in the physical essence of love making, regardless of our appearance. With the help of those brave enough to step in front of his lens, Denis Rouvre tells us of an Eden where sex is instinctively beautiful, and something to be celebrated in its purest of forms.
Christian Rolfes: Vintage Vespa shoot for Scooter Center
Nowadays you don’t need a sporty car to impress a lady, just turn up with your vintage Vespa and ask her to hop onto the back and off you go! SCOOTER CENTER, a leading retailer for all things scooters, accessories and spare parts, commissioned Christian Rolfes to shoot this wonderfully dreamy and refreshing campaign for them.
Christian, who has previously shot for the likes of Adidas, Der Spiegel and Jung von Matt, was well up for the job. With the help of some good casting, Christian recreated the relaxed and intimate atmosphere of a close-knit group of young friends, who just want to feel carefree, go wherever they want and simply have some summer fun together. They grab their Vespa’s and scooter off to a lake in the nearby countryside, stop by a nifty mechanic on the way, and who knows, maybe there’s a romance blossoming in the air..?
Lutz Hilgers: "The Heritage Post" still life portraits
What does one have to do to get one’s photo taken by Lutz HILGERS for THE HERITAGE POST magazine? In Merlin Braun’s case it was his passion for circuits. Merlin has invented the first paper synthesiser by printing silver graphics and lines made of electricity conductive inks onto simple paper. Touch and the bodily resistance this creates produce sounds and notes. The music is idiosyncratic and sounds like a mixture of Tangerine Dream and windscreen wipers.
Peter on the other hand collects vintage Levis Jeans amongst other things in the same vein as others hoard bottles of Bordeaux. He has also made the old cotton vest fashionable again. Moreover Peter happens to have revived the Merz B. Schwanen heritage brand.
And we also have Frank Leder. His thing is fashion. Everything non-mainstream. He sees his work as a sociocultural study of Germany, which he translates creatively into wearable items of clothing. This concept has been met with particularly great acclaim in Japan, where his capsule collections are stocked in the country’s finest boutiques.
Check out the new issue of ‘The Heritage Post’ to find out more about Merlin, Peter and Frank Leder. You can also read up on more men who are living out their own style, all photographed by Lutz of course.
Denis Rouvre: Denis stages employee portraits for Pernod Ricard as Kandinsky paintings
Staff photos are often formal and strained, but global drinks giant PERNOD RICARD decided to break with tradition and treated its staff to a bold and daring photo shoot with portrait photographer Denis Rouvre.
Entitled ‘Blast’, Rouvre encouraged employees to unleash the full force of their personality so that each portrait reflects a ‘moment of freedom, a hymn to individuality’. With the help of painter David Nal-Vad and stylist Ricardo Martinez Paz, he was able to theatrically enhance each employee’s character traits using bright blasts of colour, splashes of abstract shapes, flamboyant costumes and an endless amount of wondrous props.
Like a Kandinsky painting, Rouvre’s portraits capture that what springs from the soul. The Pernod staff portraits have surpassed their intended use and are currently on show at Bailly Contemporary Art Gallery.
Denis Ignatov: PR photos for techno rappers Die Atzen
Denis Ignatov photographed PR material for ‘techno rappers’ DIE ATZEN, whose provocative dance tracks have sold millions worldwide. The duo consists of German rappers Frauenarzt and Manny Marc who seem to enjoy poking fun at the stereotypical bad-boy image. The series comes across as if it were shot on a typical night out with Die Atzen. First he joins them for a freestyle rap in the back of a graffiti-covered toilet. No party is complete without a bubble machine of course! Then it’s straight to the neon-lit bunkers for some more freestyle snappin’ and rappin’. The whole series feels like there’s a party and we’re all invited.
