olaf breuning new work: from color wheels to boobs & flowers

olaf breuning new work: from color wheels to boobs and flowers
all images courtesy of olaf breuning

the oeuvre of olaf breuning can be categorized as a species of performance art — staged, produced, and carefully directed to achieve a very specific photographic, often humorous result. in the case of ‘color wheels’, the swiss visual artist has introduced a familiar toy into the scene — a pinwheel — the humble, childhood apparatus made of a folded colored paper attached to a stick at its axle with a pin. when blown on by a person or the wind, complex whirlings take place, materializing as kaleidoscopic blurs in space. breuning sets up a series of the rotating rainbows fixed to rigid horizontal and vertical beams. all at once the wheels are spun, and the ensuing image captured is a whimsical and surrealistic, yet manmade, vision. 

color wheels, 2012
image courtesy of olaf breuning

thematically, round shapes weave a common thread throughout breuning’s recent works. ‘firey eye’ appropriates the same geometric silhouette and creative approach as his play with pinwheels, orchestrating a moving scene that produces a particular static, photographic image as a result. in this instance, fireworks are fixed to a sturdy, gate-like frame and are simultaneously detonated. wild, flaming sparks are ablaze with a vivid sensation of dynamism, and though each singular, circular fireball stirs with scene of glowing vigor, the scene is alive through their interaction with each other.

firey eye, 2013
image courtesy of olaf breuning

firey eye, 2013 (detail)
image courtesy of olaf breuning

‘boobs & flowers’ at the standard hotel, miami
images courtesy of the standard hotel

always with a keen sense of humor, breuning’s installation at the standard hotel in miami saw a sea of inflatable breasts floating alongside tiny, feminine flowers bobbing up and down in the south beach resort’s hammam retreat. ‘boobs & flowers’ is made from 300 stress release/ squeeze balls situated in the pool, allowing each visitor to take dip into the artist’s sensual concept. the interactive art installation was influenced by breuning’s teenage years, as he says ‘life was full of wonderful new things and the newest of all was sexuality.’

detail of ‘boobs & flowers’ at the standard, miami
image courtesy of olaf breuning