A Telepathic Subject, 2016 © Christto & Andrew.
Unseen presents the first campaign image for the fifth edition of Unseen, created by the artistic duo Christto & Andrew. The campaign is the result of an exciting collaboration between Christto Sanz (Puerto Rico, 1985), Andrew Weir (South Africa, 1987) and Unseen, a fair and festival embracing new photography.
The duo is no stranger to Unseen. At Unseen Photo Fair 2015, Christto & Andrew had a solo presentation of their work “Glory of the Artifice”, presented by East Wing Gallery.
Christto & Andrew live and work in Qatar. While they both hail from different places in the world, they have an unconventional approach towards the country and its customs. The duo is enormously fascinated by the rapid changes Qatar is experiencing. Shimmering skyscrapers are mushrooming, the focus lies on innovation and technical development and the Qatari are seemingly obsessed by the future. This forms the basis of Christto & Andrew’s campaign for Unseen. In their work, the artists amusingly play with the sensational fictions that the West projects on Qatar. Bright colours and intriguing characters put in overly staged scenes immediately draw the viewer’s attention. Simultaneously, symbolism is deeply embedded within their images. These symbols, such as the falcon and the crystal ball, are subtle nods towards life in Qatar and refer to the tension between tradition and modernity that can be found there. These ingredients all come together in the eye-catching campaign created by the duo for Unseen.
Christto & Andrew: “Our images use objects and characters to change certain fictions, inviting viewers to reflect upon stereotypes and the commercialisation of culture, as well as the ways in which photography can represent those things, in a humorous way.”
The duo is no stranger to Unseen. At Unseen Photo Fair 2015, Christto & Andrew had a solo presentation of their work “Glory of the Artifice”, presented by East Wing Gallery.
Christto & Andrew live and work in Qatar. While they both hail from different places in the world, they have an unconventional approach towards the country and its customs. The duo is enormously fascinated by the rapid changes Qatar is experiencing. Shimmering skyscrapers are mushrooming, the focus lies on innovation and technical development and the Qatari are seemingly obsessed by the future. This forms the basis of Christto & Andrew’s campaign for Unseen. In their work, the artists amusingly play with the sensational fictions that the West projects on Qatar. Bright colours and intriguing characters put in overly staged scenes immediately draw the viewer’s attention. Simultaneously, symbolism is deeply embedded within their images. These symbols, such as the falcon and the crystal ball, are subtle nods towards life in Qatar and refer to the tension between tradition and modernity that can be found there. These ingredients all come together in the eye-catching campaign created by the duo for Unseen.
Christto & Andrew: “Our images use objects and characters to change certain fictions, inviting viewers to reflect upon stereotypes and the commercialisation of culture, as well as the ways in which photography can represent those things, in a humorous way.”
