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Michael von Hassel Portfolio

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Michael von Hassel

Portfolio

� �

Essay 4

Timberland 6

Berlin �6

Istanbul �6

Peaks �6

Oktoberfest 44

Ocean 50

Metropolis 56

People 7�

USA 78

The Artist 98

Exhibitions �00

Contents

4 5

Just as astrophotography facilitates the human eye’s ability to image invisi-ble objects, the photographic images of Michael von Hassel’s hyperrealism ena-ble us to see the unseen hiding behind the veil of superficial appearances. His work radiates with cosmic exuberance, stellar visions that transform and il-luminate, detecting or even creating hitherto unimagined dimensions of our surreal universe. Michael von Hassel’s reputation has risen considerably over the last half decade. Initially known only in his home country of Germany, where the �5 year old still exhibits extensively in the best photo galleries, his status incre-ased considerably when he co-won best contemporary artist at HOF ART FAIR in �009. Since then, he has spread his wings and flown beyond central Europe, with shows in Russia and India in �0��.

Although the vision of the world of this still young artist is entirely individual, his work is nevertheless imbued with influences from the past, as is indubitably the case with all artists. Seen can be the inspiration of French artist Jean Lurcat (�89�–�966) and German-Swiss painter Paul Klee (�879–�940); the former famous for his role in the revival of contempora-ry tapestry and luminous hues, and the latter famous for his mastery of colour and tones. However, the surrealists are undoubted-ly the greatest influence on this ar-tist who portrays dreamlike states that amplify atmospheres and metamorphosis the everyday into enigmas. Take Ball Toss (�0�0) for example, of a carnival

scene in Munich. While carnivals are traditionally phosphorescent affairs, Michael further heightens the intensity of feeling through striking compositi-on and absorbing colour, as can also be observed in Lunatic Peace (�0�0). Further, and typical of this series, in Ball Toss, Lunatic Peace and Crowd (�0�0), he blurs figures and objects as though they had been photographed at a slow shutter speed or the photogra-pher had moved. This psychedelic effect hints at altered states of awareness and captures the constant movement of pas-sing life and time, displacing them in a dream, and breathes life into the inani-mate. Thus his work embodies the surrealist objective of the “infinite expression of reality as a substitute for the previ-ously accepted dichotomy between the real and the imaginary. Acknowledging the human need for metaphysical release, the surrealists… through a more cosmic perspective of life on this earth… learn to express this more dynamic reality [and] satisfy his first for the absolu-te” (Anna Balakian, from “Surrealism: The Road to the Absolute”, �959). Michael von Hassel’s surrealist lands-capes in transcending the ephemeral capture transient moments and transmutes them into moments of comprehension. He portrays the world not only in a shimme-ring light, but also opens the doors of perception to scintillating, sensual and numinous dimensions.

Andrew J. WestArt critic, Bangkok, Thailand

Essay

6 7

Early Morning Fog, �0��

Timberland

“The wonderfully peaceful and meditative works of art put me at ease, make me dream and feel good! Fabulous!”

Gloria Fürstin von Thurn und TaxisEntrepreneur, Author, Art Collector

8 9

Legacy, �0��Lakeside, �0��

�0 ��

Timberland, �0��Woods I, �009

�� ��

Heat, �0��

�4 �5

Transit, �0��Recapture, �0��

�6 �7

Infinity, �0��

�8 �9

Love, �0��

Berlin

“Berlin has been looking for its own definition for decades. Michael von Hassel is visualising this search in sensual und stunning images.

Nobody has photographed Germany’s capital like this before.”

Dr. Florian LangenscheidtPublisher, Author, Entrepreneur

�0 ��

Peace, �0��

�� ��

Vista West, �0��Charlie, �0��

�4 �5

Gate, �0��Bridge, �0��

�6 �7

Pure, �0��Death Stip @ Peace, �0��

�8 �9

Transfer, �0�� Watchtower, �0��

�0 ��

Eternity, �0��

Istanbul

“My first encounter with Michael and his works was at the Contemporary Art Fair in Istanbul in �0��. Michael is a very successful, talented, inspiring and valuable con-temporary artist, who at a very young age was internationally recognized due to the

authenticity of his works. His lovely and lively personality is reflected in his works that are sincere, creative, inspiring with a delicate sense of fantasy. The use of

light and color is so aesthetically powerful it has a mesmerizing effect on the viewer. It feels like one is in a fantasy world.

Through his photographs, Michael invites the viewer to take a step inside the world he proposes. And there is a sense of mystery, and surprises waiting to happen. Pleasing to the eye and mind, the artist knows how to capture the viewer’s attention with the technique that he uses. He knows how to create a visual impact that will remain in the memory of the viewer. He posits himself as a mediator between two worlds: the real and the fantasy world. He awakens a sensitivity and awareness to the beauties offered to us by the remnants of history that surround us in Istanbul. In this city where one lives in the present with the past, the everyday scenes of inherited architectural structures suggest a dream-like imagery. The viewer finds himself between the real and the sugge-sted reality of the artist. The illuminating effect of these particular series of pho-tographs is revealed through the lens of the capable artist. His works offer a color-ful synthesis of the present and the past. Michael is an artist who envisions a bridge between the past and the present of a city he has newly discovered. He will have an

important place in the history of art without a doubt.”

Billur TanselDirector of Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art and Proje4L

�� ��

High Street II, �0��High Street, �0��

�4 �5

Reservoir, �0�� Sunrise, �0��

�6 �7

Neighborhood, �0��

�8 �9

Europe, �0��

40 4�

Allofkitz, �0��

Peaks

“Michael von Hassel photographs captures ones emotions. An astonishing rangeof images, from intriguing solitude forests, to brewing digital storms or surreal urban atmospheres. One is engaged by its unexpected dreamlike, not

quite definable, texture and impressions.”

Rolf SachsArtist, Designer, Art Collector

4� 4�

Saint Summits IV, �009Saint Summits I, �008

44 45

Sanctum, �009Saint Summits II, �009

46 47

Transition, �009Reaching for Glaciers, �009

48 49

Ball Toss, �0�0

Octoberfest

“Everytime I see Michael‘s work, I feel like Alice entering Wonderland. Growing up in Munich means I have been to the Oktoberfest countless times, and looking at his photographs I realize Michael makes visible

what my heart has so often felt; it’s a peculiar kind of magic.”

Mon MüllerschönCurator

50 5�

Irregularities, �0�0Lunatic Peace, �0�0

5� 5�

Ferris Wheel, �0�0Crowd, �0�0

54 55

Aguas Blancas, �0�0

Ocean

“Michael‘s work is very passionate and raises a deep desire.”

Freddy ReitzArtist

56 57

Sunrays, �009Jetty, �0��

58 59

Sunset, �0�0 Tempest, �0��

60 6�

Mall II, �0��

Metropolis

“I like this unique mixture of loudness and silence. Michael’s works are alive.”

Dorothee Gräfin von PosadowskyHead of Arts & Culture, E.ON

6� 6�

Working Late, �0�0Harbour I, �0�0

64 65

Logistics, �0��Parkade, �0��

66 67

Lustrous FFM, �0��Capital Shores, �0��

68 69

FFM Erruption, �0�� Cat Walk, �009

70 7�

Vanity in Silence, �009 Sloane Square, �0��

7� 7�

Grand Palais, �0��Memory, �0��

74 75

Mall, �0��Convolution, �0��

76 77

Rock, �0��

People

„Michaels art mirrors his character: colourful, diversified, elegant, sophisticated and simply unique.“

Maximilian WestphalPhoto Artist

78 79

Essiscary, �0�0Essi vs. Essi, �0�0

80 8�

Fighting IV, �009Fighting I, �009

8� 8�

Ocean Drive I, �009

USA

“The glamour of the boulevards and the ever-changing flow of time animate the double exposures and the layered photo-collages of Michael von Hassel. In stark contrast to these multi-facetted visions of cityscapes and neon

lights, the young photographer also has a keen eye for the picturesque beauty of in the American hinterland. Together, Michael von Hassel‘s photographs

reflect a very personal view on a country, which thrives on small differences and extreme contrasts - every image an eye-catcher.”

Anke Degenhard

Curator, Gallery Owner

84 85

Ocean Drive III, �009Ocean Drive II, �009

86 87

Miami Nights, �009 Miami Nights II, �009

88 89

LAX Diner, �008LAX News, �008

90 9�

Pandemonium, �0�� Pandemonium II, �0��

9� 9�

Car Park, �0��Gas Station, �0��

94 95

Surplus, �0��Remains, �0��

96 97

South Rim, �0��

98 99

Navajo Rays II, �0��Navajo Rays I, �0��

�00 �0�

Navajo Rays V, �0��Navajo Rays IV, �0��

�0� �0�

Michael von Hassel thinks we all have the duty to figure out what’s your very best talent. You got to make this talent your profession in order to become a happy person. Michael’s self-discovered talent: he‘s taking pic-tures. He sees himself as a “Ramblin’ Man” always looking for the “Magnum Mysterium” in everything. He stages anything but documents and interpre-ts his reality. Visible and invisible things are blurring.

The artist was born in �978. He lives in and around Berlin and Munich. The view for the special, an eye for the essential and a basic appreciation of everyday life are motivation for him. The world should see wherein the beau-ty of now lies. The photographer is of a deep passion and longing to show his surreality in a hyper-realistic way in order to enlighten with exposure.

Michael’s pictures “Hyperrealism” im-press the beholders with fascinating contrasts, mellow colours and magnifi-cent arrangements of light. The pic-tures seem to be painted but they are truly photorealistic as well. The vie-wers are enabled to see actually more than they were able to see with their own eyes, if they would stand at this very photo-location by themselves. The more or less marginal themes show our world way more intense. Michael’s pic-tures are an invitation to the viewers to leave their reality for a moment and travel to some timeless moment where the beauty of inanities becomes as marvellous as they should be seen every day. Michael’s souvenirs derive from the capitals of the world and from the very end of civilisation.

The photo-autodidact already held a large number of national and interna-tional exhibitions. Since �006, his art is part of in Germany’s most renowned gallery for photography, Camera Work in Berlin. Here Michael is one of the youngest members in the hand-picked group of world’s best photographers. Next to Berlin Michael is working with galleries and partners in Munich, St. Christoph, Bregenz, Kirchberg, Moscow and New York. The pictures are publis-hed in an edition of five pieces, are real photos (no prints) and they are offered in various formats. After seve-ral exhibitions his art-works are now also often part of corporate (e.g. Lin-de Group) and private art-collections (e.g. Schaumburg-Lippe).

In June �009, Michael - together with his partners Judith Grote, Maximilian Westphal and Florian Walter – has won the prize for the best contemporary ar-tists at Hot Art Fair in Basel.

In fall of �0�� Michael von Hassel unveiled one of the world’s largest photographs in the Schrannenhalle in Munich. It has a size of �8 m², is laminated behind real glass and just unique in its size and style.

The Artist

�04 �05

�0��

Milan Image Art Fair, Milan (IT)Art Monaco �0��, Monaco (MC)Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle, Berlin (DE)

�0��

Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul (TR)Camera Work @ Ernst & Young, Berlin (DE)Cabinet Lounge, Moscow (RU)India Art Fair, Mumbai (IN)

�0��

EDC, Düsseldorf (DE)Art@Lanz, Kitzbühel (AT)Galerie Punzmann, Frankfurt (DE)New Art Kunstsalon, Munich (DE)Bloom, Cologne (DE)Galerie Reygers, Munich (DE)Schloss Bellevue, Berlin (DE)

�0�0

NHB Studios, Berlin (DE)Hospiz Galerie, St. Christoph (AT)Galerie Reygers, Munich (DE)Haus der Kunst, Munich (DE)Aaart Foundation, Kirchberg (AT)

�009

Apropos Gallery, Cologne (DE)HOT ART FAIR, Basel (CH)Hospiz Galerie, Bregenz (AT)Cortiina, Munich (DE)

�008

Roschlaub Galllery, Hamburg (DE)Galerie NMalmedé, Cologne (DE)Galerie ARTPages, Baden-Baden (DE)Leica Gallery, Frankfurt (DE)

�007

GEK, Schwäbisch Gmünd (DE)Wamsler VV, Munich (DE)

�006

�aArt, Munich (DE)Le Coup, Munich (DE)IGB, Baden-Baden (DE)SAP/ SOS Kinderdörfer, Hamburg (DE)Sparkasse, Schrobenhausen (DE)Camera Work, Berlin (DE)Galerie Baumgartl, Munich (DE)

�005

Audi, Ingolstadt (DE)Classic Bar, Ingolstadt (DE)Randstad, Ingolstadt (DE)

Exhibitions

�06

Imprint

Year of Publication: �0��

Publisher: Michael von Hassel, Breslauer Weg 44, 8�5�8 Geretsried, Germany,[email protected], www.michaelhassel.de

Cover: Michael von Hassel, “Navajo Rays IV, �0��”

Copyright: All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part not without written permission of the copyright holder. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or processed using electronic systems, duplicated or

distributed without written consent of the publisher.

Acknowledgements: Alexandra Kamp, Ch. Dörte Meyer, Andrew J. West, Bernd Müller, Maximilian Westphal, Michael Fleissner, Billur Tansel,

Gloria Fürstin von Thurn und Taxis, Dr. Florian Langenscheidt, Rolf Sachs, Mon Müllerschön, Freddy Reitz, Dorothee Gräfin von Posadowsky, Anke Degenhard

Galleries, Curators, Art Agents, Partners: Camera Work, Galerie Reygers, Hospiz Galerie, UF6Projects, Aaart Foundation, Apropos Gallery, Frida Fine Arts Gallery, Galerie Brockstedt, Crome Art Systems,

Dr. Florentine Rosemeyer, Ch. Dörte Meyer, Stefan Acs, Catja Vedder