Achim Lippoth Photographer Exhibition

Achim
Lippoth
Photographer
Exhibition
Exhibition
‘By disregarding aesthetic conventions
in child photography, he evokes emotions.’
Photo Technik International, Germany
Welt am Sonntag, Germany
Photo Technik International, Germany
The little rascals posing as models
Achim Lippoth, one of the best child photographers,
on display at the Viaux Gallery
by Katja Engler
Stars of German advertising
by Anne Kotzan
There is an area in art - and, for the matter, in photography - that will in
all likelihood always remain marginal: child photography.
... Whenever photographers have dealt with this subject to serve the
mass market, they have usually done so to create documentaries and
features to merge sensations with emotions ..., or to live up to a cliché
that has survived for centuries: the cute, tender, and, for the matter,
trained child. Child and fashion photographer Achim Lippoth, aged
36, has an entirely different idea. His modells are also often cute and
sometimes trained, but put in a visual context, that statement is always
interrupted by an accompanying story that is told tongue-in-cheek, and
by details in the arrangement. When Lippoth photographs for Prada,
his child models are dressed to kill, nice and sweet but shown as a
soup hater (“No! I´m not going to eat my soup!”) or as a spoiled brat
who throws a pie on the floor before her mother´s eyes.
... Lippoth´s pictures boast the same charm as “The War of Buttons”.
They can depict the “perfect world” of the German Wirtschaftswunder
(economic miracle) of the 1950s, while the same time expressing irony,
or they can document poverty, uniformity and a bit of happiness in
remote Ukraine.
…..Motion pictures keep inspiring Lippoth, and sometimes he copies
one such as, “Das Wunder von Bern” /The Miracle of Bern). For “
Wölflinge” (young wolves), his series shot in darkness, “Stand By Me”
served as a role model. The series is about runaway kids who want to
feel wild, free, and dangerous, even though it may only be for a few
hours. Quite incidentally, the photos, which are shown in a theatrical,
dramatized environment, are meant to illustrate fashion.
... Even though it may look like it was created off the cuff, it is based
on Lippoth´s script-like meticulous plans. “The whole ´Wölflinge´shoot
took us four days.” Photographing children, he admits, has a number
of advantages: “They are unbiased, free of values, and very natural.
That´s what I´m trying to get across.” For the carnival seasons in
Cologne, Germany, he portrayed numerous little “Faschingsprinzen”
and “Funkemariechen” (carnival princes and girl dancers). Their skin is
as light as a Porcelain doll, and they look stiff but proud in their
uniforms. ...”
Gallery: Catherine Edelmann Gallery, Chicago
Series: Class of 1954, Woelflinge, Together
...Whether his models jump through darkness soaked in dirt, or he
portrays little kids dressed in cashmere that remind you of the 1950s:
by disregarding aesthetic conventions in child photography, he evokes
emotions. Hence, his work clashes with traditional child photography,
which puts emphasis on what is happy, cute, and vulnerable. Lippoth
does not intend to diminish children so you only see their positive
attributes. Rather, he sees them as complete human beings, even
though they are still small. What Lippoth particularly likes about working with them is that “they act more naturally in front of the camera
than their adult counterparts do. They show emotions more easily.”
Lippoth´s technique is dominated by theatrics and movie-like style.
Whether he is at the studio or on the set, he often uses harsh lighting,
has his models act in natural environments, and plays with color and
opposites. And he likes to experiment with new things. For example,
he shots his “Pony Kids” series with a disposable camera. In Lippoth´s
view, advertising and art are merging, with both areas adapting to each
other just as fashion mirrors society and defines new values. “It´s all
about emotions, and a photo has to
appeal to them.”
Series: Class of 1954
Eyemazing
Text and Interview byYulia Tikhonova
Lippoth, who is 40 years of age, explained that his fascination for his
subject springs from his
understanding of children’s desire and ability to
imitate other people. Against the conventional view that children are
naive and simply themselves–they are who they are–Lippoth
learned early that they would eagerly assume different personalities in
a process of developing their own. To capture these illusive moments,
he applies sharp focusing techniques that works to arrest a certain
instant. With the help of theatrical props, Lippoth highlights
particular characteristics of the narrative he wants to convey, generating another reality in the frame. In his skilful hands, the images thus
become iconic moments of childhood that have been foreseen by the
photographer.
…Achim Lippoth: Never. So far, no one has implied that my photographs are abusive or a misrepresentation. In fact, it is the other way
around. Many people respond to my images very personally, citing
memories of their own childhood. Looking at my pictures, they say:
“This is what I did when I was a kid.” This happened with the series of
L’Homme Machine showing a Chinese gymnasts or Classroom stories,
when they associate themselves with the people in a picture. This is
because I represent diverse facets of child-life: its spontaneity, camaraderie, playfulness and, of course, mischief. The traits everyone easily
relates to.
What makes my work different from the artists you have mentioned is
that I have a unique approach to my subjects. I don’t emphasise the
darker parts of childhood or adolescence. Instead, my kids are natural.
Children are great actors, they can really cry or laugh naturally.... But
this is only if they want to participate in your game. If not, no one can
force them to perform. They are very true to themselves in this way...
And this leads to an exciting challenge: how to make them to do what
I want in a picture? How to have them perform the roles that I need
but yet remain natural?
Fast forward now to a second meeting Eyemazing had with Lippoth in
his studio in Chelsea. Here Lippoth showed his latest project, which is
very different from Storytelling 1954. The subject matter is still
children, but overall the images are softer with a more atmospheric
feel to it. The graphic outline of earlier works have disappeared, giving
way to a chiaroscuro play of deep shadows and a bright silhouette of
light. When the light caresses face of a child and then slips into the
darkness of the background, a symbolic meaning of childhood comes
forth. Here the children are not grouped together, as in his previous
images, but they are depicted alone, lost in a melancholic repose.
The new works suggest an invisible, meditative and less threatening
influence.
Gallery: Catherine Edelmann Gallery, Chicago
Series: Together, Secret Garden, Woelflinge, 1954
‘One of the best child photographers’
Welt am Sonntag, Germany
Series: Secret Garden
Series: Rage Attack
‘Achim Lippoth captures the world as he sees it’
PHOTONEWS, Germany
More is more
by Kerstin Stremmel
Yet in the same way that he gradually learned how
to be a photographer by asking and doing after he
happened to notice that children pose like naturals
in front of his camera, he has become increasingly
influenced by artistic photography.
This interest resulted in independent pieces for which
he even developed a platform called “kid´s wear”, a
children´s fashion magazine that Lippoth established
in 1995.
Photonews, Germany
... Lippoth sees his magazine as a means of communication, which
above all affords him the opportunity to include extensive photo series
that suit his style. The latest issue, for instance, features a series titled
“No fashion”, covering a club for traditional costumes with individual
and group shots of dancing and singing children who pose just as easy
in their dirndls and lederhosen as Petit Bateau boys or Escada girls do
so one might think they are even cooler.
The setting for the “No fashion” shoot was perfect: a huge mountain
panorama of the Alps in the background and the floor covered with
markings of choreography. Yet sometimes Lippoth has to make a big
effort to achieve the impact he aims for. For a comprehensive series
of children from carnival clubs, called “The Colors of Cologne” from
2004, he had a landscape of hills airbrushed that looked rather artificially, in front of which he placed little majors and “Funkemariechen”
(girl dancers) alone or in groups. Besides the fact that the pictures
were taken slightly from below, this approach produced a somewhat
heroic, ironic atmosphere that was not intended to expose the young
models. Since they are strongly convinced of the impact they make,
they appear not as much dressed up as donned in unusual yet
tradition-conscious garments.
….Lippoth boasts the ability to make very mundane pictures, e.g. in a
village in Ukraine. Looking at how much Lippoth took in the scenery
and what was happening, you would hardly believe that even those
photographs only took a few days to shoot. It seems as though he
has always been a nondescript observer who belongs. The preacher
in front of his church, nosey girls looking through a window, two men
walking along a village road, an old lady sitting on a porch, a younger
woman in the foreground who seems to fold her arms in resignation.
Life seems to be passing by slowly there, with the subdued colors of
those serene pictures underscoring their melancholy. So we vaguely
understand that many viewers feel uneasy about Lippoth´s range of
creativity, since we have become so accustomed to the recognizable
language of imagery.”
Gallery: Gallery Speak For, Tokyo
Series: Tell it like it is, Body of Water
Series: Body of Water
Gallery: Gallery Speak For, Tokyo
Series: Tell it like it is
Series: I Am the World
Press Release - For Immediate Release
ACHIM LIPPOTH, Storytelling
Contact: Gisele Schmidt
The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present Achim Lippoth
Storytelling, featuring a selection of color photographs from his latest
publication, Pictures. This dramatic exploration of children’s behavior
in a highly orchestrated and designed setting highlights the complex
relationship between young minds and the adult expectations to
which they both rebel and conform. “Children are the actors here,
while adults are at most the decoration...The pictorial spaces are like
stage sets, whether outdoors or in the studio. The photographer never
leaves the choreography of his characters or the orchestration of light
and colour up to the coincidence of capturing the right moment...After
all, Lippoth’s world is a stage, and he is the sole director” (Thomas
Wiegand, Achim Lippoth: Pictures, Kehrer 2007). Lippoth’s series, from 2002 to the present, focuses on individual
sequences which investigate a particular theme or obstacle children
face as they transition into adulthood: innocence, discipline,
conformity, consumerism, camaraderie, desperation, tomfoolery, and
rage. Throughout each, children are depicted as the sole agents
of the action. It is their world: the adults merely live in it. When in
contact with the adult world, they are always at odds with its
requirements. For Lippoth, it is only when these children lack adult
intervention that they spontaneously conform to the social demands
of their peers.
Gallery: Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles
»Storytelling«
Series: Rage Attack, Dinner,
l´homme machine,
Dancing School
Each series draws on Lippoth’s inspirations from art and media history,
but his unique synthesis of these influences -- coupled with his
theatrical arrangements and sharp focusing techniques -- create his
own reality in the frame. Each individual sequence, despite their
subject differences, seeks to capture an epic moment of childhood. From organized recess to classroom antics to roughhousing with the
boys, Lippoth freezes iconic moments of childhood: life as it is
imagined in the perfect still frame of memory. Achim Lippoth was born in Ilsofen, Germany in 1968. He graduated
from Byrom College at Manchester in 1986 and resumed his art
studies at the University of Cologne, where he graduated in 1992. Shortly thereafter, Lippoth began his career as a freelance
photographer. In 1995, Lippoth established “Kid’s Wear Magazine,”
designed originally as a forum for designers and retailers of children’s
fashion. The magazine has also garnered a substantial audience of
photography aficionados because of its impressive production and design content. Lippoth has received numerous honors and awards for
both his commercial and artistic photographic work in print, television
advertisement, and technical skill, including the IPA 2006 Professional
Photographer of the Year award, Clio Awards Gold Category in Print
(2006), and Epica Award for Print. Achim Lippoth’s editorial work has
been featured in Life Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, and
Vogue. Lippoth currently lives in Cologne, Germany.
Series: l´homme machine
‘Lippoth is truly original,
with a direct and honest style’
pdnonline, USA
Gallery: Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, »Storytelling«
Series: 1954, Together, Dinner, Dancing School
Series: Wrong Right Wrong
Vita
Curriculum vitae
Awards
1968 1985–86 1986–92 since 1992 1995
since 1998 2001 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006
2006 2006
2006
2006
2006
2006
2006
2006
2007 2007 2007 2007
2007 2007 2007
2007 2008 2008
2008
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2010
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 born in Ilshofen / Germany
graduated at Byrom College Manchester, Great Britain
artstudies at the University of Cologne
freelancing photographer based in Germany
establishment of kid’s wear magazine
film director
All Images © by Achim Lippoth
ADC Berlin, Bronze in the category »Photography«
Lead Award, Gold for »Fashion & Lifestyle Photography«,
ADC Berlin, Silber in the category »Editorial«
ADC Berlin, Bronze in the category »Photography«
ADC Berlin, Bronze in the category »Magazine Title«
ADC NY, Silver in the category »Photography«
ADC NY, commendation in the category »Editorial«
Eurobest Award – Saatchi & Saatchi Paris
ADC NY, Silver in the category »Photography«
ADC NY, commendation in the category »Photography«,
Lotus Awards, Silver and Bronze in the categories
»Publication and Media«,
Grand Prix Stratégies de la publicité – commendation
in the category »Non-Commercial Campaigns«
The Creative Circle – silver in the category
»Best Women’s Magazine Advertisement«
Lead Award – silver for »Fashion & Lifestyle Photography«
Lead Award – bronze for »Fashion & Lifestyle Photography«
IPA Gold – Silver and Bronze,
»Professional Photographer of the Year«, category »People«
ADC NY – three merits in the category »Editorial«
ADC Paris, 1. price in the category »Poster Campaign«
Clio Awards NY – Gold in the category »Print«
Magazine Print Award MPA, Belgium – Gold in the
category »Poster Campaign«
Cannes Lions 2006 - Bronze Lion
»IPA Professional Photographer of the Year«, category »People«
Eurobest Award – Gold in the category »Print«
Epica Award – Gold in the category »Print«
American Photography No. 22
Eurobest Award – Silver in both categories »Print« and »Outdoor«
London International Award – Gold in the category »Print«
Cannes Lions 2007 – Gold Lion
American Photography No. 23
D & AD Award London 2007 – Yellow Pencil
ADC Berlin – Bronze in the category »Print Advertising«
New York festivals (NYF)
Gold World Medal in the category »Home Entertainment«
Silver World Medal in the category »Home Entertainment«
Clio Award – Silver in the category »Print«
ADC Germany – Silver in category »Photography / Editorial«
Lead Award Bronze – category »Photography«
American Photography No. 24
Clio Award - Bronze, Category »Poster«
Golden Award of Montreux - Gold Medal,
Category »Home Appliances Entertainment«
New York Festival - Gold World Medal,
Category »Home Product/Services«
American Photography No. 25
Cresta Award, Category »Magazine«
IPA – 1st Category Winner »Photography Book of the Year«
EPICA – Silver for both Categories „Food“ and
„Advertising Photography“
Cannes Lions 2010 - Silver Lion, Category
„Campaign Savoury Foods“
New York Festivals (NYF) - Silver World Medal, Category „Outdoor“
One Show Design - Merit Award
Category „Outdoor Design - Campaign“
AD Print Winner
Category „Luerzer´s Archive Best Use Of Photography“
Silver Angel, Category „Fast Moving Consumer Goods“
EPICA Silver, Category „Food“ Silver,
Category „Advertising Photography“
Grand Prix Stratégies - Winner, Category „Food“
European Cristal Festival - Winner, Category „Food“
Solo - Exhibitions
Editorial Publications
2004 2005 2006
2007
2008 2008
2008
2009
2010
2011
Blackbook, USA
Colors Magazine, Italy
Die Zeit, Germany
FAZ, Germany
Jetzt Magazin, Germany
kid´s wear Magazine, Germany
Life Magazine, USA
Neon, Germany
New York Times Magazine, USA
Permanent Food, USA
Stern, Germany
SZ-Magazin, Germany
Viewpoint Magazine, UK
Vogue, Italy
Vorn, Germany
Wallpaper Magazine, UK
Weltwoche, Swiss
Eyemazing, Netherlands
Vogue Ninos, Spain
Details Magazine, USA
Vogue Nippon, Japan
Theme Magazine, USA
Dictateur, Italy
Vogue Bambini, Italy
GQ, USA
Gallery Viaux, Hamburg – »Kinder der Gezeiten «
John Stevenson Gallery, New York,
»Kinderszenen, Scenes from Childhood«
Rudolf-Scharpf-Gallery – Ludwigshafen
»Kinderfotografien – Achim Lippoth and his art collection«
Museum and Gallery Im Prediger, Schwäbisch Gmünd – »Kindheit«
Fahey / Klein Gallery – Los Angeles »Storytelling«
Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum – »Kinder der Dritten Welt«
Gallery Speak For – Tokyo »Achim Lippoth & kid´s wear magazine«
Catherine Edelman - Chicago »Pictures«
Galerie Paris – Beijing - Paris
Gallery Speak For – Tokyo »Achim Lippoth - Kids«
Group - Exhibitions
2002 2002 2003 2004 2005 2005 2006
2007
2008
2008
2010
2010
2010
2010
2011 Yossi Milo Gallery – New York, »Images by the sea«
Triennale – Milan, »(K)art(ell)«
Gallery Lichtblick – Cologne, »Images against war«
Gallery Pasquer – Cologne, »Kinder«
Gallery Viaux, Berlin »10th Anniversary of kid’s wear magazine«
National Museum of Photography, Bradford UK,
»Fashionation – Between Art and Fashion«
Farmani Gallery – Los Angeles, »2005 IPA Best of Show«
VisualLeader – Deichtorhallen, Germany
Farmani Gallery – New York »IPA Best of Show«
Kunsthalle Darmstadt – Germany »Posing«
BIP 2010 – Liège »(Out Of) Control«
Shay Arye Gallery - Tel Aviv »small adults «
GuatePhoto Festival 2010
Catherine Edelman - Chicago »PROOF«
Kunst Galerie Fürth - Fürth »Lucky«
Book Publications
2001 2002 2007
2007
Die Gestalten Verlag, »Places to go and see«
Skira Editore Milano, »(K)art(ell)«
Kehrer Verlag, Achim Lippoth »Pictures«
Hicolai Verlag, Andre Deutsch, »100 Jahre Farbfotografie«,
Achim Lippoth
www.lippoth.com tel +49 221 95 45 55 8
[email protected]
represented by
BRANSCH EUROPE
tel/fax +49 40 27 81 89-0/10
[email protected]
BRANSCH NEW YORK tel/fax +1 212 414-1622/1399
[email protected]
BRANSCH PARIS
tel/fax +49 40 27 81 89-16/10
[email protected]
www.bransch.net
All Photographs © by Achim Lippoth