Starting Point - Internationale Photoszene

In his artistic and theoretical work, Spanish artist Joan Fontcuberta deals with major themes of humanity, such as nature and technology. In his works he creates a visual universe in which truth and fiction are closely interwoven. Fontcuberta reflects on the evidential power attributed to photography and takes this promise ad absurdum with a sense of humour and sharp wit. In doing so, he refers to the use of photography in applied fields such as science, politics or religion from within his artistic work.

In the early series Sputnik (from 1997), which was awarded the Hasselblad Award in 2015, Fontcuberta plays with the longings and visions that connect people with the idea of travelling space. He designs the fictional astronaut Ivan Istochnikov (the closest Russian translation by Joan Fontcuberta), who goes down in space under strange circumstances. To lend authenticity to the story, the artist uses a variety of historical documents.

Joan Fontcuberta is an invited AMA artist at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).

Interview mit Joan Fontcuberta zu Photoszene ON AIR 2020.