Artist
Niko de La Faye
Date & Times
6th – 20th September, 2014
Tuesday – Saturday: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Talk by fine art photography specialist Jacqueline Furniss
Saturday 13th September, 2014 at 5:00pm
Address
Mur Nomade
Unit 1606, 16/F, Hing Wai Centre, 7 Tin Wan Praya Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
De La Faye is not a believer of the idea of model casting; instead, all models were volunteers that he has met in life personally. The mesmerizing shapes and colours on his artworks together with the existing landscapes of the human faces have resulted in a fascinating series, symbolizing encounters with people.
At the exhibition presented at Mur Nomade, Niko de La Faye will interact with the visitors through an audio recording on iPod, amplifying the presence of the models as if they came to life through de La Faye’s photographs. Through the voice and words from the artist, one artwork following another, the stories behind each painted face become even stronger, creating a personal connection among the visitors, the artist and the models.
Niko de la Faye’s Visages series, as part of the Hong Kong International Photo Festival, offers a reflection on the role of the photographer plays in the exercise of portraiture. A portrait is the representation of the way the artist sees his or her model; with this representation painted directly on the face of the model, instead of being captured through the lens of the camera or depicted on a canvas, the photography comes in as the final layer in the sequence of representations.
Artist’s statement
I didn’t need a canvas, and furthermore I was intrigued by the idea of adding shapes and colors to the existing landscape of the human face. I would also integrate living eyes within the canvas. This way I could give an interesting dimension to an image that would be a mix between painting and photography.
Niko de La Faye
NOTES TO EDITORS
[ About Niko de La Faye ]
Born in 1978 in France, Niko de La Faye is a multi-disciplinary artist and art educator. He started his career in San Francisco, where he designed costumes and choreographed shows. Since 2008, he has been sharing his time between Paris and Beijing.
Niko de La Faye’s work is about geometry, primary colors and interaction with people. He creates kinetic sculptures, installations, photographs and costumes. Performance is the underlying component of all the art forms he explores, as part of the creative process or in the presentation of the end result.
Visages is a photographic series of very graphic portraits completed over two years in collaboration with seventy-five models. With his kinetic sculptures, the artist wishes to create mechanical interpretations of his environment. Moreover Niko de la Faye directs shadow theatre shows regularly in Beijing.
Niko de La Faye’s work is currently presented in Macau at the 2014 Biennial of the Lions, which celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The Hong Kong International Photo Festival was first launched in 2010, comprising a series of exhibitions in different areas of photography, covering a wide spectrum temporally and geographically. Apart from the biennial Festival, the Hong Kong International Photo Festival Flare is organized in alternate years, in between the Festival proper. An array of exciting events in promotion of photographic culture is being held concurrently with the Festival proper and the Festival Flare. Exhibitions and events are held at different venues and art spaces throughout the city, creating a photographic ethos and fostering the art and culture of photography in Hong Kong. Through collaboration with different photography organizations in Asia, we aim to uphold Hong Kong’s status as the hub for exchange and sharing of creative ideas, technical knowledge and valuable experience in photography
Niko de La Faye “#63 – Steven” Pigment print with face mount, 60 x 60 cm Edition of 6, 2009,
(image courtesy the artist and Mur Nomade)
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