Wednesday, 24.7.2024, 10:00 to 18:00 Elfie Semotan

Elfie Semotan's exhibition begins with the picture series "o.T. (Birch Forest), New York, 1999", which can be seen in the corridors of the Francisco Carolinum. The viewer follows the blurred silhouettes, which reappear in the forest, and is thus led into the exhibition rooms.

Despite the deep, forest-like ambience, on closer inspection the forest turns out to be a handcrafted stage set. The series sets the tone for the themes explored in the exhibition: Experiments with fashion photography and the intersection of commercial work and artistic interventions. Elfie Semotan's creative freedom in staging fashion campaigns is evident in the work for LISKA, selected from 1999 to 2018, as well as in editorials for magazines such as Allure, D-Magazine and Madame.

The elaborate backdrops for fashion photography are also the result of Elfie Semotan's lifelong friendships and collaborations with artists and designers. The decades-long collaboration with fashion designer Helmut Lang unfolds in fragmented and underexposed "backstage" photographs that give an insight into hurried moments in front of the catwalk. Throughout the exhibition, the viewer's eye is tricked into revealing intricate details of fiction and discovering parallels between nature, art and the human body.