About

I studied visual art and philosophy because I hoped to find an answer to the questions of life in one of them. But now, only my questions got more precise. Since 2008, my theoretical interest has shifted from philosophy to psychology and related areas. I work alone and collaborate with other artists on equal terms.

Statement

I am a photomedia artist, investigating the unconscious mind. THE MIND IS A CURIOUS THING. Despite over 200 years of psychology, the unconscious remains as vague and powerful as the gods it emancipated itself from. As a reservoir of our past experiences, it stores urges and feelings that we rationally have no access to. However, some images can open these doors, trigger emotions and unlock memories. Using archetypes and symbolic acts, the work speaks the language of the unconscious and communicates on a dreamlike level. My visual poetry transports the viewer between the sublime and the uncanny – where the attributes of photography, painting, theatre and film unite. WORKING LIKE A MOTH I only work at night, with minimal equipment, an in-camera approach and without digital manipulation. Like a moth, I roam the streets searching for light, practicing what I have termed ‘Inverted Street Photography’: instead of exploring stories, a place or a person, I hijack and transform what I see in front of my camera into a symbol for the timeless workings of the mind. I also stage images with models to create a portrait of the Collective Unconscious. To develop ideas and impulses for the shoot, I map the overlapping areas of my unconscious and the model's. I am then guided by the dynamics of the shoot to move deeper down the rabbit hole.

Education

  • 2013 | "Roger Ballen Masterclass", Photofestival Belfast (GB)
  • 2002 | "2.Staatsexamen (Art & Philosophy)", Berlin (DE)
  • 1992-98 | "Visual Art", Akademie für Bildende Künste Mainz (DE)
  • 1992-98 | "Philosophy", Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (DE)
  • 1995 | "Conceptual Art" & "Intermediate Studies" Academy of Fine Arts Prague (CZ)
  • 1994 | "Visual Art", Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, Fine Arts & Communication, Hyderabad (IN)
  • 1991-92 | "Media & Drama", "Philosophy" and "German Studies" - Albertus-Magnus-Universität Cologne (DE)

Institution (Work Experience)

  • 2016 - ongoing | Lecturer, PhotoWerkBerlin, Berlin (DE)
  • 2012 - 2016 | Lecturer, Hochschule Furtwangen (DE)
  • 2008 - 2010 | Lecturer, Photography Studies College, Melbourne (AU)
  • 2004 - 2009 | Lecturer, The Centre for Ideas, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne (AU)
  • 2004 - 2005 | Lecturer, Akademie für Bildende Künste, Mainz (DE)

Selected Awards

  • 2020 | Stipendium Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, Berlin (DE)
  • 2015 | "Photography Show Award", FORMAT Festival Derby (GB)
  • 2013 | "Prix Voies Off", Arles (FR)
  • 2009 | “X Media Forum / 31st International Film Festival“, Moscow (RU)
  • 2008 | “Prix Partouche du Court Métrage Expérimental" Biennale d’Art Contemporain, Le Havre (FR)
  • 2007 | “Körber Foto-Award (selection)“, Körberstiftung Hamburg (DE)
  • 2007 | “Exhibition Grant“, Senatskanzlei für Kulturelle Angelegenheiten, Berlin (DE)
  • 2001 | “Friends of the Johannes-Gutenberg-University Award”, Mainz (DE)
  • 1996 | “Best Student Award”, Federal Minister of Education and Science, Bonn (DE)

Selected Exhibitions/Publications

  • 2018 | Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi (IN)
  • 2017 | Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles (FR)
  • 2017 | Chobi Mela Festival, Dhaka (BD)
  • 2016 | Singapore International Photography Festival (SG)
  • 2016 | Bundeskunsthalle Bonn (DE)
  • 2016 | 9. Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, Kunsthalle Darmstadt (DE)
  • 2015 | Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen (NL)
  • 2015 | Format Festival, Derby (GB)
  • 2014 | Encontros da Imagem, Braga (PT)
  • 2014 | Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (NL)
  • 2013 | Voies Off Festival, Arles (FR)
  • 2012 | WNDX Festival of Moving Image, Winnipeg (CA)
  • 2011 | Moscow Museum of Modern Art (RU)
  • 2011 | 2nd Internet Pavillion, Venice Biennale, Accademia di Belle Arti, Venezia (IT)
  • 2010 | Museum of New Art, Detroit (US)
  • 2009 | European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück (DE)
  • 2008 | New Media Scotland, Edinburg (GB)
  • 2007 | Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney (AU)
  • 2007 | Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (DE)

Personal Website

http://www.eldagsen.com

Works

Boris Eldagsen & Tanvir Taolad | THE RABBIT HOLE (2021)

Boris Eldagsen & Tanvir Taolad | THE RABBIT HOLE (2021)

THE RABBIT HOLE is a site-specific, immersive photomedia installation parallel to the Rencontres Arles. Curated with Carine Dolek. 'Boris Eldagsen and Tanvir Taolad photographs take us to the other side of the mind, to the peripheries of the universe. We are not certain whether we are seeing the artist’s dreams or a mirror of our deeper state of consciousness. These images from the Rabbit Hole series are truly unique, unforgettable, and above all powerful.' Roger Ballen With this work Berlin-based artist Boris Eldagsen and Dhaka-based artist Tanvir Taolad travel to outer limits: inside & outside, here & beyond, conscious & unconscious, heaven & hell. Their collaboration brings together Western and Eastern approaches of defining the deep unknown: Us. This work is not related to a specific social issue or political problem, but to the origin of all issues and problems. This work is not about religions, yet it contains all religions. It is about the human condition that we all share, will share and have been shared. It is about the timeless aspects of us and the underlying conditions of suffering and hope. Working mainly from their archives, Eldagsen & Taolad use their experimental skills of fusing and condensing photographs to create images that dig deeper into the human condition. Images are 75% manually and 25% digitally altered. They are cut, destroyed, projected, glued and digitally reworked. As an image can have several loops of alteration, and Eldagsen & Taolad don’t reveal the details of their production tricks to one another, one can truly state: nobody knows, how it has been done. Their collaborative work premiered with an installation at the Indian Photography Festival Hyderabad in September 2018 and was followed by a 360° site-specific installation at Kochi-Muziris Biennale in December 2018.

Format:

Photo / Video

Boris Eldagsen - OTHER POEMS (2015 - ongoing)

Boris Eldagsen - OTHER POEMS (2015 - ongoing)

OTHER POEMS is a further development of the meta-series THE POEMS. In contrast to this, each picture has its own title. The work is exhibited as site-specific installations with changing combinations of wallpaper, objects, photographs and video.

Format:

Photo / Video

Boris Eldagsen | THE POEMS (2010 - 2017)

Boris Eldagsen | THE POEMS (2010 - 2017)

Despite over 150 years of psychology, the unconscious remains as vague and powerful as the gods it emancipated itself from. As a reservoir of our past experiences, it stores urges and feelings that we rationally have no access to. However, some images can open these doors, trigger emotions and unlock memories. Using archetypes and symbolic acts, THE POEMS speaks to the language of the unconscious and communicates on a dreamlike level. The visual poetry transports the viewer between the sublime and the uncanny – where the attributes of photography, painting, theatre, and film unite. THE POEMS is a meta-series of 115 single images and 10 videos. The work is exhibited as site-specific installations with changing combinations of wallpaper, objects, photographs, and video.

Format:

Photo / Video

Boris Eldagsen | The Chamber of Reflection (2018)

Boris Eldagsen | The Chamber of Reflection (2018)

- An Anteroom Installation - Fotografie | Bildschirmhintergrund | Video Der Vorraum ist eine kleine, abgedunkelte Kammer, die von vielen Traditionen - von ägyptischen, persischen, Maya- und griechischen Religionen bis hin zu Freimaurerei und Voodoo - für spirituelle Einweihungen genutzt wird. Sie ähnelt einer Grabhöhle, die mit Symbolen des Todes und der Zerstörung ausgestattet ist. Der Kandidat wird darin eingesperrt, um über Leben und Tod zu meditieren und sich seinen eigenen Ängsten und Dämonen zu stellen. Wenn man unter die Erde hinabsteigt, erfährt man einen symbolischen Tod, indem man "in sich selbst nach der Wahrheit sucht", bevor er klar und gereinigt wieder auftaucht. Diese Arbeit wurde durch den Initiationsbrunnen der "Quinta da Regaleira" im Weltkulturerbe Sintra, Portugal, inspiriert und in und um Lissabon gedreht. Übersetzt mit www.DeepL.com/Translator (kostenlose Version)

Format:

Photo / Video

Boris Eldagsen | DFA-Presentation “THE OTHER SIDE & THE RABBIT HOLE”

Boris Eldagsen | DFA-Presentation “THE OTHER SIDE & THE RABBIT HOLE”

Boris Eldagsen presents his collaboration with the artist Tanvir Taolad from Bangladesh. "The photographs of Boris Eldagsen and Tanvir Taolad take us to the other side of the mind, to the peripheries of the universe. We are not sure whether we are seeing the artist's dreams or a mirror of our deeper state of consciousness. These paintings from the Rabbit Hole series are truly unique, unforgettable and, above all, powerful." Roger Ballen In their collaboration, Eldagsen & Taolad confine themselves mainly to their archives, using their experimental skills in merging and condensing photographs to create images that delve deeper into the human condition. They show their collaborative work in site-specific spatial installations, such as at the Indian Photography Festival Hyderabad 2018, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018/19 or Arles 2021. A lecture in the context of the DFA Winter Conference 2021, Saturday, 06.11.

Format:

Photo / Video

Boris Eldagsen | DFA Presentation "Mind Over Matter - AI-Generated Images"

Boris Eldagsen | DFA Presentation "Mind Over Matter - AI-Generated Images"

For a few months now, DALLE2, Midjourney, StableDiffusion and other artificial intelligences have been able to generate photos in any form, style and content - through descriptive text input. Since August, Eldagsen has been subjecting these platforms to a creative stress test and for the first time comprehensively shows his artistic experiments and the current state of technical development. He describes why these disruptive techniques are a Big Bang for photography and society, the consequences of which we can hardly guess, why commercial image production is facing a mass extinction and what is good about it. And why the Old Testament and Frankenstein's monster shake hands when it comes to AI-generated images. A lecture in the context of the DFA Winter Conference 2022, Sunday, 04.12. A continuation of this video is the podcast dieMotive: https://diemotive.de/ein-podcast-zum-hype-um-kuenstlich-generierte-bilder/

Format:

Photo / Video