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aNdreas GefeLLer

1970 born in düsseldorf, germany
lives and works in düsseldorf, germany

soma
enormous, bulldozed areas for parking-spaces, hotel-silos next to them, artificially strewn beaches,
rows of deck-chairs for kilometres on end, barren green lawns between concrete and barrier fences. They are
standardized, controlled and very “clean” places on gran Canaria, which in his work sOMA, the photographer
Andreas gefeller transforms into bleak utopian sets. The geographic origin in these pictures, which often
appear strange, systematically yields to the feelable metaphysics of the shown space.
Although produced in a conventional analogous way, these pictures seem to be digitally reworked. In
the age of cyberspace, where reality and virtuality intersect with each other, this work raises one question in
particular: How real is this reality and how true are the ways of showing it?
Andreas gefeller studied photography at the university of essen until the year 2000. sOMA is his final
work for professor Bernhard Prinz. Parallel to his recent exhibitions, a book of his works is available at the Hatje
Cantz publishers. gefeller was awarded the reinhart Wolf Prize for his photographs in 2001. His work was also
acknowledged by the european Architectural Photography Prize 2001 and the Peter Keetmann Prize 2002. The
book itself earned an award for concept and graphic design at the Art director’s Club’s competition for young
talents.

 UNTITlEd 6, c-Print on diAsec, 112 x 139 cM. / 44 x 55 in.
 UNTITlEd 5, c-Print on diAsec, 37 x 47 cM. / 44 x 55 in. COurtesy galerie thOMas rehbein, COlOgne, gerMany

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