Weekend Portfolio: Olaf Wiehler
Writing and Photography by Olaf Wiehler
Photo Editing by Haley Winchell
About the artist: Reflection, recurring behavioral sequences, self-perception, and human yearning are themes that Munich-based photographer Olaf Wiehler takes up again and again in his everyday observations.
Through the play of compositions, color, light, and shapes, Wiehler makes his personal perception of time, spatiality and being human visible and tangible.
Whether street, architecture, portraits of art and people – Wiehler invites a deeper look, a search for clues behind the obvious, behind facades. Also himself, who after 20 successful years in media management, decided some years ago to give art and photography more space.
For the renowned neon and installation artist Jack Kuck, Olaf Wiehler documents and interprets works like “Burning River”or “Time Matters” photographically. Selected editions are available at Bernheimer Contemporary.
About the project: Nowstaybut
Mannequins dwell behind reflective glass. Standing there as if frozen. Seemingly born in the belief that they can infatuate us with desire to purchase. This is how they direly spend their existence, hurling their yearnings, despair, and oblivion at us. If we look closely, we can perceive our own need to help them out of their situations. The leap from the illusory world into the here and now can't be difficult. Just do it! But we cannot change anyone. Except ourselves.
Wiehler has been experimenting with his camera and mannequins behind glass panes for years. He uniquely brings the fascination of these mannequins within their magical worlds into tangible proximity. An enticing offer to the viewers to become participants and enter resonance with themselves. The works of his mannequin-in-showcase series "nowstaybut" give a face to our sense of inner torpor and the powerlessness that comes with it. Our own habits as a self-imposed prison to whose door we hold the keys.
We human beings tend to remain stuck in the familiar and run the risk of becoming frozen within ourselves. In Wiehler's photographs, the ever-surprising reflections of the surroundings become activating elements. Switching to prompts from objective to sensual, opening our perception and widening spaces. Waking and awakening what covertly slumbers.
You can view more of Olaf’s work on his website and Instagram.
