Pierre Winther is a world-renowned conceptualist, raconteur, image-maker, and visionary. Based in Berlin and born in Copenhagen, Winther has been pushing the boundaries of photography and film since 1985. With his mind deeply rooted in cinema, he manages with his complex imagery to tell entire stories in single moments. Through his lens, timeless dramas unfold from a kind of organized chaos depicted with bold, saturated hues, and his engaging sense of narrative is conveyed with a single click of the shutter.
‘Nothing Beats Reality’ is a carefully curated selection of Winther’s prolific oeuvre spanning more than a quarter of a century. The book is published by teNeues and features powerful images such as ‘Car Crash’, created by Winther as part of the visual identity “Successful Living” for Diesel Jeans in 1994. The parallel universe he conjured up for Diesel in the 90’s referenced social concerns with a radical irony, and paved the way for groundbreaking campaigns during the 90’s which still inspire advertising today.
Winther’s most iconic photograph is of a man riding a 17-foot tiger shark, a daring image achieved on a mammoth 1992 shoot in the Great Barrier Reef, in the days before Photoshop. Shot for a Levi’s campaign, the photo spawned many imitations and transcended the commercial world to end up in galleries and Christie’s auction rooms. The groundbreaking photo, which was produced without digital manipulation, appears on the cover of this book and inspired the book’s title ‘Nothing Beats Reality’. Winther commented: “I think the narrative of the man riding a 17 feet tiger shark visually sums up my general approach to image-making, which is this balance of danger and illusion with a playful nod to the viewer.And in the same time I see the image as a hint to the title “Nothing Beats Reality” and visa versa.”
This glossy hardback book of striking, often surreal images, contains Pierre Winther’s revolutionary editorials, campaigns and high-concept visuals. His unique approach to capturing his subjects stimulates the imagination and engages with the viewer. In “Nothing Beats Reality” Winther takes his radical approach a step further by “encoding” his imagery. By doing this, Winther strikes a new interactive path to connect his visual worlds as photographer and film director. In other words, “the film starts where the photograph ends.”
Recent exhibitions include; Macmillan de’ Longhi Art Auction, London, 2014; Copenhagen Photo Festival, 2013; ACTE2 Galerie, Paris, 2012; and Camera Work, Berlin, 2009. Pierre Winther has created high-profile advertising campaigns for clients such as Diesel, Dunhill, Finlandia, Levi’s, Hugo Boss, Nike, and many more. Additionally, his editorial stories have appeared in magazines such as The Face, iD, Rolling Stone, VICE and Vogue. An accomplished director as well as photographer, Winther has created videos and covers for artists including INXS, Skunk Anansie, Tricky, Björk, Massive Attack and Beastie Boys.
Book title: ‘Nothing Beats Reality’ Publisher: teNeues Pages: c. 240
29 x 37 cm Hardcover with jacket including c. 125 colour and b/w photographs
Language: English ISBN 978 3 8327 9861 1 pierrewinther.com
Book launches and exhibitions are being planned in Berlin, London and other cities for 2015.
Follow @PIERRE_WINTHER #nothingbeatsreality for updates
