In a world where special talents and college degrees more often than not decide people’s fates, Swiss artist Fabian Oefner, who has no formal training in photography, told a bunch of school students at the Sharjah International Photography Festival Xposure 2017 that passionate curiosity is what makes a real difference.
The internationally recognised Swiss artist who mostly works out of his studio near Zurich, Switzerland, has carved out his reputation by fusing the fields of art and science, creating images appealing to the heart and mind. His projects are often about showing scientific phenomena in an unusual and poetic way and therefore invite the viewer to stop for a moment and appreciate the beauty that is constantly surrounding us.
“By turning petrol into human irises, by using 10,000 volts of electric current to produce tree-like drawings, by making a fire tornado, by painting a car in a wind tunnel, and finally by stopping time in three dimensions, I try to constantly show where the medium of photography is heading for in future,” Oefner remarked.
“Keep your curiosities alive. It is your desire to keep wanting to learn more about the world that will enable you to come up with some crazy projects like me,” he said as he took the audience on a journey through some of the best art he has created working with some very reputable global brands.
From colourful beads bouncing off a big speaker to high-speed photography techniques capturing that moment in time a bullet tears through Chinese porcelain, Fabian’s effort to bring to attention the beauty of the natural world by harnessing its scientific properties has led to the creation of some of the most vibrant art one has seen.
His project for Italian car manufacturer Ferrari has been one of the most iconic in the automobile company’s history.
“How do you come up with an original story for a brand like Ferrari, which has such heritage and a cult following? I was at the workshop doing some research when I saw that they test the aerodynamics of the vehicles using paint. That was it; I wanted to visualise the car just through paint. So I took it into a wind tunnel, got lots of special UV paint, and after a four-day process of painting and cleaning the car, we got what we wanted.”
Oefner`s work is frequently featured in international blogs and printed publications such as The Washington Post, National Geographic, Der Spiegel, Stern, Wired, and BBC among many others. In 2013, he appeared on TED talk to share his unique art and the process behind it.
The artist is at Expo Centre Sharjah until Saturday, November 25, and those fascinated by his works and his creative thought have the opportunity to interact with him.
Xposure 2017 is an outstanding platform for the lovers of the visual language. It is a celebration of global perspectives and gives people in the UAE a chance to view the world through some of the bravest, kindest, and most creatively discerning eyes.
The second edition of the festival, organised by Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), runs until Saturday, November 25 at Expo Centre Sharjah. The high profile event, featuring a gathering of 32 of the world’s most celebrated photographers, is expected to spark a region-wide engagement and inspiration.
To learn more about the Festival, please visit www.xposure.ae and social networking platforms by using #xposurexpf.
