Galerie Hilaneh von Kories - Thomas Bak: The photographic capriccio - Sheets from 1998 to 2008


Thomas Bak:Thomas Bak Vita→ Vita
The Photographic Capriccio
Sheets from 1998 to 2008

09 July to 16 September, 2016

:  –

Self-Portrait 2014,
„White Hole / Les Chants de Marlboror“

From 09 July to 16 September, 2016 Galerie Hilaneh von Kories will present the seemingly nostalgic and highly irritating works by the artist Thomas Bak. His fig-ures, objects, landscapes and rooms confront viewers with a manneristic style, eccentric as well as enigmatic-erotic imagery. Bak has become a classic in artistic photography, which invites to the surrealistic play between authenticity and autonomy clad in seemingly historic daguerreotypes. He calls his procedure „the reanimation of atavistic and seemingly lost pictures“. The results of these totem-creating processes are melancholic, poetic metaphors „alchemystic“ allegories seen from the perspective of our time. Bak‘s iconography is full of symbols, fetishes and citations of art history, literature and hermeticism.

Thomas Bak: TST00 02, 2004-2007
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 24 x 20 cm
TST00 02
Thomas Bak: A=N00 14, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
A=N00 14
Thomas Bak: TST00 12, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 24 x 20 cm
TST00 12

Using the title of the exhibition „The Photographic Capriccio“ the photographer refers to the art form of the Capriccio, which came into being between the 16th to the late 18th century as a struggle for artistic freedom and which is in art theory considered a complex forerunner of modern art: Capriccio painters and graphic designers defied the academic norms of their time. Beyond the limits of reality they presented monstrous products of the darkest depths of the human soul and employed diverse objects for the pictures. Many artists also used this newly found sense of freedom for critical and political statements. For instance one of Bak‘s photographic series is called „Arche=Nada“, a bizarre interpretation of the comforting concept of Noah‘s Ark.

Thomas Bak: TST00 41, 2004-2007
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
TST00 41
Thomas Bak: A=N00 24, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
A=N00 24
Thomas Bak: TST00 03, 2004-2007
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 24 x 20 cm
TST00 03

The photographer, who is also writer, musician and artist first sketsches his pictures and later choreographs them in an extravagant way. Thomas Bak was born in Szczecin, Poland. He attended Bremen University for the Arts of Book and Graphic Design and Photography and received his degree from Professor Fritz Haase. In 2004 Bak was awarded Germany‘s most renowned prizes for talented young photographers: The BFF and Reinhard-Wolff-Preis. His works have been presented around the globe and are part of state-run collections.

Bak‘s works for the former Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy as well as Dalis Car established his renown worldwide. After longer stays in Los Angeles and Paris he has been living in Spain and Germany since 2015, where he is more and more engaged in his own publishing house, book art and photographic projects.

More photos from this exhibition

Thomas Bak: A=N00 01, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Open image gallery
Thomas Bak: A=N00 04, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 06, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N000 13, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 17, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 21, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 22, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 23, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 32, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: A=N00 39, 2004
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30,7 x 20,3 cm
Thomas Bak: B00 18, 2008
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: B00 23, 2008
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: COS00 03, 2002
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 28,8 x 28,7 cm
Thomas Bak: 30 x 25 cm, 2008
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 05, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 24 x 20 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 10, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 20 x 24 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 24, 2004-2007
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 30, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 24 x 20 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 33, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: TST00 35, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm

Thomas Bak: TST00 40, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 30 x 25 cm
Thomas Bak: TSTS00 03, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 21,4 x 17,6 cm
Thomas Bak: TSTS00 04, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 21,4 x 17,8 cm
Thomas Bak: TSTS00 05, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 21,5 x 18 cm
Thomas Bak: TSTS00 06, 2006
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 21,4 x 17,9 cm
Thomas Bak: VRA00 26, 1998
Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Baryte, ca. 34,7 x 27,3 cm

More infos about this artist

Thomas Bak: Vitaopen vita

Thomas Bak:
The Photographic Capriccio
Sheets from 1998 to 2008

09 July to 16 September, 2016

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday 14–19
Until 30 September, 2016
Saturdays on appointment only


Galerie Hilaneh von Kories
Belziger Straße 35
10823 Berlin
Fon: +49 (30) 787 13 65 0
mail@galeriehilanehvonkories.de
www.galeriehilanehvonkories.de

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