Томаса Барбе

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source: thomasbarbey

Thomas Barbèy grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, across the street from the “Caran D’ache” factory, the largest manufacturer of art supplies. He started drawing seriously at the age of 13, using black “encre de Chine” and gouaches for color. His influences were Philippe Druillet, Roger Dean and H.R. Giger. After living in Geneva for 17 years and designing posters for musical bands, he decided to move to Italy, where he lived in Milan for 15 years making a living as a successful recording artist, lyricist and fashion photographer.

Today, he resides in Las Vegas and travels the world, taking his camera wherever he goes.

Thomas has been a photographer for over twenty years now and prefers to use his old Canon AE1s when he shoots in 35mm or his RB67 when he shoots in medium format. More recently, he has been doing Black and White Photomontages for the sole purpose of doing Fine Art, without working for a specific client.

He has combined several images taken over a period of twenty years to create surreal situations with the help of the enlarger in a dark room. His work has a specific style and is very characteristic. He only works with Black and White, including Sepia toning at times.

Every single one of his images has to pass what he likes to call the “So what?” test. If a combination of two or more negatives put together doesn’t touch him or have any particular meaning, he starts over. At times, he tries to combine images and sometimes the results can be disappointing. A giant clock in the middle of the ocean can be an unusual image, but if he looks at it and says to himself, “So what?”, this means it isn’t good enough.” If, instead, an ocean liner is going down a “funnel-type” hole and he titles it “Shortcut to China”, it takes on a whole new meaning. The picture takes you into an imaginary world where you can see the captain telling the passengers to fasten their safety belts and get prepared for the descent, and so on.

At times Thomas comes up with ideas beforehand, try to materialize them and it works. At other times, it comes as an accident, where the ideas come afterwards, when the image is already finished and the concept has yet to be understood. Thomas claims he is learning constantly through the process of creation.

Thomas travels 2-3 times a year to take photographs of different things and places. Sometimes he uses an image several years later, but only when it fits, like the perfect piece in a puzzle, and completes his latest project. Some images are composed of negatives that are separated by a decade in the actual time that he has taken them and only come to life when they found their perfect match. It’s the combination of two or more negatives that give birth to a completely unusual vision, but most of all, the title he gives the final image is the glue and the substance of the piece.

Thomas exhibits in galleries throughout the world and is included in many private collections.
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source: gallery71

Thomas Barbèy was born in Connecticut in 1957, he was brought to Europe from the time he was six months old. Helived in Italy and Germany, and then moved to Switzerland where he lived for 17 years.He spent a semester at the University of Geneva, but left to pursue a career in the music industry.He found success on the Italian music charts and subsequently moved to Italy where he remained for 15 years. During this time he focused on his music career while photography remained a hobby.By the early 1990s he owned his own fashion photography studio.
In 1995 Barbèy moved back to the US.He now lives in Las Vegas with his wife and business partner, Suzanne.He creates his images through a process he calls “photomixage”.His work is inspired by artists such as M.C. Escher and René Magritte as well as many years of traveling the world.His process begins with a concept, then creation and selection of negatives.Photography is a tradition in Barbèy’s family and he sometimes uses old negatives from the family archive in his work.To achieve the desired outcome, negatives are double exposed in the camera, sandwiched together to be printed simultaneously, collaged and re-photographed, and/or any combination of those processes.

Artist Statement
The inspiration for my work comes from many years of traveling all over the world, every day life and from some of my favorite artists, such as René Magritte, M.C. Escher and Roger Dean.I carry my Mimiya RB-67 and several old Canon AE-1s wherever I go to shoot my photographs.

The process of my montage starts with a concept.It is then followed by the exposure and selection of the negatives to be used.The design is then created by carefully choosing printing procedures such as combination printing; sandwiching negatives together, thereby printing them simultaneously; pre-planned double exposures in the camera; the retouching of collaged photographs; and/or a combination of all the above.I sometimes retouch and/or airbrush the collages before re-photographing them.I then make a master negative to print a limited edition.Although I’m constantly asked about how I do them, I would like to think that the pictures can be appreciated without any real knowledge of their technical virtuosity.The visionary inspiration and imagination is not a technical skill learned in school but rather to my personal belief, a gift from God.This is the only way I can explain the source of any idea I may have during the creation process.
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source: droomplekkennl

Thomas Barbèy is fotograaf en kunstenaar tegelijk. Hij manipuleert bekende, maar ook minder bekende plaatsen op de wereld met zijn eigen creaties. En dat levert unieke foto’s op, of eigenlijk kijkplaatjes. Die stuk voor stuk bijzonder zijn.
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source: imagefengniao

Thomas Barbey旅居世界各地，因为生活背景，让他对于周遭的事物总有着天马行空的幻想。有些创作者会选择以绘画呈现，但他利用摄影将各种不同的场景素材、底片，印刷、重复翻拍、拼贴，重新赋予照片新生命。照片看起来都理所当然，但却又带着一点突兀的感觉。

摄影原本只是Thomas Barbey的业余爱好，没想到却越玩越有心得，他的影像叙事风格深受超现实主义画家Rene Magritte的影响，仿若带领观众进入神秘的潜意识世界。他主要使用玛米亚RB 67中画幅相机或佳能AE-1s胶片相机拍摄，再利用类似蒙太奇手法，对照片进行剪辑、印刷、重复翻拍、拼贴。
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source: admeru

Добро пожаловать в ирреальный мир фотографа Thomas Barbey. Он работает над черно-белыми сюрреалистическими образами, которые сам называет даже не фото-коллажем, а словом «фотомиксаж». Волшебный мир фотохудожника безгранично многообразен и, наверное, так могла бы выглядеть альтернативная реальность нашего бытия. И все это — с классической фототехникой.