Pool Desert Tiger

Introduction

Pastels, palms, and predators – the photographic works by artist duo Paul Fuentes colorfully blends elements of Miami Art Deco, Pop Art, and 60s Hollywood glamour. The light is clear, the colors are smooth, the atmosphere is sunny and relaxed – well, if it wasn’t for the snarling felines that is, their regal presence adds a touch of luxury and refinement.


The London based artist embraces the old canon of surrealist aesthetics inspired by Lautréamont, who found beauty in the chance encounter between a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table. Two completely divergent realities fiercely collide and spark a familiar poetic flame.  


Paul Fuentes, who collaborates with his wife Ilse, uses and combines his own photographs and footage from real places to create extraordinary effects. In their London studio the artist duo creates large scale works along with cheeky and daring Product-Pop-Mashups that reinterpret everyday objects into new contexts. It is there where they take their unpredictable leaps in the spirit of the surrealist principle of combination. While the imagery remains clear and optimistic, perhaps even cheerful, it always comes with a bite. It’s not without reason that Paul Fuentes was shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards in 2019.      



Stephan Reisner