Felix Hoffmann and Patxi Arsa, our readers picks #310, both capture people. One documents their reality and sufferings, while the other uses fantasy to reveal their emotions.
Felix Hoffmann
As a graduate in Journalism and international affairs, Felix Hoffmann is particularly interested in human rights and humanitarian issues. “I’ve discovered the photographic medium while working on a multimedia documentary in Berlin with a friend of mine, who is a photojournalist. Since then, I’ve attended the Canon student development programme at Visa pour l’image twice”, he tells us. With his projects, the photographer wishes to highlight man’s ability to overcome challenges, by documenting their stories and strategies developed to get by. In Gold rush in Mubende, Felix Hoffmann focuses on “the notions of land and power. In Uganda, it is the people who own the less who also work the hardest, risking their lives in the mines, and the rich benefit from it. It is important to tell the miners’ story, as they never stop fighting for their lands, despite the hold of the corrupted State”, he explains.
© Felix Hoffmann
Patxi Arsa
“In photography, I like to depict dreamy, colourful and welcoming universes. Another part of my work is more violent, darker and more introspective, but it is found mostly in the short films and music videos that I produce”,
Patxi Arsa tells us. The 23-year-old director and photographer turned to the medium when he was a student, on the Basque coast. “I was inspired by the regional landscapes’ richness”, he says. By turning the lens towards his friends, his daily life, he then started focusing on portraiture. Now based in Paris, the artist creates fantastic sceneries coloured with supernatural tones. “It all starts with the right encounter, my models inspire my universe”, he adds. At the heart of his recent projects? Relations between bodies and people. A sensitive work whose osmosis between models, landscapes and emotions draw us in.
© Patxi Arsa
Cover picture: © Patxi Arsa
