TITLE: The Mud Cycle

THE MUD CYCLE

Tokyo 2014 - 2016
serie of black and white photographs.

For over 2 years Olaf Wipperfürth photographed regularly two traditional japanese Sumo schools
( Chiganoura Beya + Takadawa beya ) during their early morning training session.

Taking pictures in theses places opened not only a view on the visual language of sumoculture of today
vs. complexity of hypertech societies, but also a sort of intimate mysterious psychogram,
Represented through unfamiliar, almost dance and trance like movements and emotions, we enter a fragile archaic set.
The translation of the japanese beya, means room or also stage, The captured movements and athmosphere in these images are ment to locate more the theatrical qualities of comtemporary dance then those of combat.

Olaf Wipperfürth excludes in his photography the actual moment of wrestling, instead he concentrates on the abstaction and the mud imprints on the sumo bodies. The photographs avoid the codes of reportage and invites the viewer to more ephemeral perspectives. Mostlikely they stand as a blanc canvas, open for the spectators eyes and his multiple interpretation but also for the imprint of defeat, acceptance of submission and tollerance of weakness for example,

This project is part of the workcycle "trace + absence", which is one of the most fundamental aspects in Olaf Wipperfürth’s work.

AUTHOR: Olaf Wipperfürth (France)

OLAF WIPPERFÜRTH

born 1966 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Olaf Wipperfürth studied philosophy and art history in Germany before moving to Paris in the late nineties
to finalize his doctorate, “L'instant dans l'art et dans la philosophie contemporaine”
- The “moment"- in contemporary art and philosophy, published in 1999.
After his doctorate and supplementary studies at the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie.

Olaf exclusively dedicated his life and passion to photography + film, projecting his theoretical
and conceptual knowledge into his artistic universe. Deeply influenced by the imagery of film,
contemporary dance and german 80 th subculture he generated an body of work in portrait and
conceptual photography. His art is shown in various exhibitions and book publications
and explores mainly the themes of absence, trace and ephemeral spaces.

Exhibitions:
-Stream - JWT Gallery, London 2008
-The Window Collection- BBH, London 2009
-Windowblack - NoGood Gallery Paris, 2011
-Aquarium - Videoprojection, NoGood, Paris 2011
-Beauty in the 21th Century / Traumfrauen, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg 2014
-Any Human Heart- Pin Up Studios, Paris 2015

Book publications:
-The aesthetic rest: remarks on a aesthetic of the moment, Doctorate, Gerhard Mercator University
-Glas - Quadratur, Text by Prof Dr. C. Rülcker
-intérieur - 24 Poses, Text by Carine Soyer
-Oceanic Art - Text by A.J.P Meyer, Könemann Edition
-The Fashion Book - Dries van Noten, Page 476, Phaidon
-The Golden Anniversary -Dries Van Noten, Limited Edition
-Or blanc du Loch Ness - Text by Hervé Jaouen, Gallimard
-Dries van Noten - Edition Les Arts Décoratifs
-Beauty in the 21st Century- Dumont

Editorial work published in:
Vogue China, Vogue Italia, Vogue France, Vogue Germany, Uomo Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, DANSK, Elle UK, Vogue Gioiello, Flair ,Rolling Stone Magazine, GQ + GQStyle, Quadratur Art Magazine, Volt Magazine, The Creator Magazine, Heroine Magazin, Above, The Telegraph Magazine,Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazin, Muse Magazine, Numero Tokyo.