FEN FIRE

Friedrich Gobbesso

Volcanic rock formations at the seaside, darkest night and burning metal: on the Sicilian coast, Friedrich Gobbesso steps onto an ancient stage, claiming it for his pyrotechnical performance and its photographic documentation. In analogue experiments, the Berlin-based sculptor and photographer explores photography’s roots. In his series FEN FIRE, magnesium serves as the sole source of light, producing a distance and sometimes a sense of disorientation. The visual results are without reference in everyday life. The subject, strangely illuminated by a garishly bright backlight joined by reflections generated in the camera’s interior, gives rise to surreal scenes strangely lacking in scale. The interplay between softness and sharpness, blinding light and deep blacks gives rise to an unreal blend of safety and irritation, evoked through the cave-like effect the lighting creates in the outdoor space.