Famous German Photographer hits Wellington

All you lucky Wellingtonians will have the chance to see and buy the work of world-renowned and award winning German photographer Helmut Hirler in an exhibition at Wellington’s Exhibitions Gallery of Fine Art opening 24 June 2010.

Described as one of a rare breed of photographers who takes to the road – armed only with his motorcycle and his panorama camera - Hirler goes in search of the most beautiful natural and cultural landscapes on earth and narrates his solitary road trips in his panoramic images.  

With his heavy Technorama - a 6x17cm negative format that captures a mere four shots per roll on black and white film – he achieves unbeatable brilliance.  Not to mention his use of infrared and specific filter combinations which relay each landscape’s strong sense of drama.

                 Helmut photographing the Moeraki Boulders, South Island

Hirler’s work has received and continues to receive countless accolades with numerous books published and calendars of his images in circulation.  His name is synonymous with dramatic landscape photography around the world - from sprawling deserts and hidden river valleys to venerable Asian temple complexes to the wooded landscapes of his native southern Germany.  

Having recently decided to call NZ home, he reckons Aotearoa is the place that suits the artist’s temperament best.  “Here in New Zealand I keep having those ‘once-in-a-century days’ – where you find yourself alone, under an open sky with a camera, without a single person in sight far and wide. That’s an experience one seldom has in Central Europe – but it is possible in places like Iceland, central Spain - and most of all here in New Zealand,” he says.

We hear ya Helmut – and we like your style mate.  We reckon you will too – so get along to the Forgotten Kiwis Exhibition by Helmut Hirler, featuring guest artist Sally Maguire at the Exhibitions Gallery of Fine Art, 154 Featherston Street, Central Wellington. Opens 24 June 2010, 5.30pm.                           

                                            Horopito, New Zealand

More info at www.exhibitionsgallery.co.nz