BOTH SIDES NOW – WILDCIRCUS
„in none of my previous projects have i put as much time as i did in BOTH SIDES NOW. the coronavirus pandemic gave me this time and the opportunity to reinvent myself and my art.“
– alexander maria lohmann extreme contrasts have always fascinated the photographic artist alexander maria lohmann. with his camera he traveled around the world to capture the perfect moment in remote, inhospitable and dangerous places. whether wild animals in the african savannah, rugged high alpine landscapes or war theaters in syria – he has always been interested in crossing boundaries, entering new territory and bringing opposites together in the most varied ways. he is represented with his photographic art at international art fairs such as art basel in miami as well as in numerous renowned galleries, including amsterdam, barcelona and london. in the coming year one of his life‘s dreams will come true: his project SCREAMING SILENCE, in which he artistically juxtaposes images from syria and disneyland, will be presented with a solo exhibition in a leica gallery. besides photography, lohmann has also been painting for many years. the current pandemic has now given him the impetus to develop further in this direction. like his greatest role model gerhard richter, he too wants to allow extreme changes in his work time and again. in spring he moved into a larger studio in his hometown of gurgl in tyrol and intensified and deepened his painting there. now very large-format works are also possible. using up to 2 meter long squeegees and various other techniques he creates abstract paintings in acrylic and oil paint on canvas. what interests him most is the tension between pure photography and abstract painting. this is how the cycle BOTH SIDES NOW was created. the superimposition with abstract art gives his photographic subjects grandeur and makes the sublimity of wild nature impressively visible. the picture cycle BOTH SIDES NOW is a further development of three photo projects:
high alpine landscapes, wildcircus and large-format mosaics.
WILDCIRCUS
the wild animals of the african savannah are prototypical for the irrepressible power and beauty of nature. in the serengeti and in south africa, lohmann followed the tracks of the last big cats and elephants still living in freedom to capture unique moments on film. by combining them with abstract color elements, lohmann emphasizes the character of the animals and breathes a soul into the pictures. small formats are available as an open edition. larger formats from 101cm, regardless of size, limited to only 5 pieces.
