JOSEF & JAKOB HOFLEHNER
WATING FOR THE SUN

29 September – 25 November 2017
Exhibition Opening : Thursday, 28 September, 7 – 10 pm

ABOUT "WAITING FOR THE SUN"

"For as long as I can remember, it has been my dream to live in America in the 1970s. However, I was born in 1987, making this dream an impossible reality.

But I have always been drawn to that decade; the music, the way people dressed, the cars. When my classmates listened to The Backstreet Boys, I enjoyed the rock tunes of Led Zeppelin. And when they were excited about the then-new Volkswagen, I couldn't stop thinking about a classic Dodge.

The 1960s and 70s arguably saw some of the best-designed cars to ever leave a manufacturing plant. Once seen bumper-to-bumper throughout the country, these automobiles are a rare sight on U.S. roads today. The ones that didn't end up in a scrapyard, spend most of their time in garages, often being cared for and maintained by enthuasiasts and collectors. For "Waiting for the Sun," I have teamed up with one of the most influential contemporary photographic artists to create a series of photographs that give the impression of being captured in the 70s.

Over the past five years, we have driven across America, from coast to coast, along miles of highway and through countless neighborhoods, searching for vintage automobiles. Whether covered in snow during a winter Nebraska night, or shining in the sun of the Nevada desert, to us, these cars perfectly fit the American landscape, and describe an era and a culture. Although we didn't stage any of the photographs, we were very selective and made great efforts to avoid most modern amenities and surroundings in these works."

Jakob Hoflehner

Josef Hoflehner was born in Austria in 1955. He quickly gained recognition as a photographer of dramatic black and white landscapes and subtly-toned images. He favours large formats and likes photographing empty spaces. Although his country of origin boasts some dramatic mountains, it lacks the coastlines, deserts and open spaces which give an uninterrupted view of the horizon. It is precisely these boundless vistas which have always fascinated him. All Hoflehner needs to work his magic is breath-taking locations. At the age of 20, he started travelling around South Africa to experiment with his newly-acquired camera.

Hoflehner’s work is now exhibited in some of the world’s biggest art photography galleries, as far afield as New York, Los Angeles, Paris and London. He is known for such series as “Jet Airliner” (2009-2011), a collection of images of planes landing at the airport on St. Maarten island, almost touching the beach and its occupants, as well as for his "Frozen History" project (2002-2003) showing the century-old huts of Antarctic explorers Scott and Shackleton, literally frozen in time. Hoflehner has said of these images: "In some ways, it seems that the most desolate landscapes have had the greatest impact on me. In my opinion, one of the most fascinating places on the planet is this vast expanse of ice and snow: the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica."

He has already published nine monographs and his images have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. He was named one of "Austria"s Best Contemporary Artists” in 2014.

Josef Hoflehner’s photographs are often meditations on what lies beneath the surface of our modern world.