I frankly admit: "Digital art" (and especially three-dimensional virtual art) was not at all my favorite genre. I always had the impression of virtual landscapes being as idyllic and colorful as they were trashy and trivial. They reminded me of those model railroads and sceneries with cute little trees, mountains and lakes. And I almost felt the same about those imaginary characters and phantastic creatures, as if created by Steven Spielberg, impressing at first glance, but boring already some instants later, forgotten soon. L'art pour l'art.


Bertolt Brecht once told a fan of his early dramas: "Quite nice. But those plays lack wisdom." When I first saw Jochen Brennecke's "HyperPhotos" I was not only enchanted by their aesthetical brillance. I also realized: They have that wisdom! Based on a technically perfect photo and an outstanding motif, the digital processing sharpens the message and turns (excellent) photos into works of art.


Jochen Brennecke -- born in Hamburg, Germany, now living and working in New York -- describes himself as a "photographer and digital artist". He likes to mix all aspects of his photography together to create his new images using a flatbed scanner and a Nikon Coolscan. By using a Power Mac and a range of software including Photoshop, Live Picture, Painter and a 3D program he builds up his images spending a great deal of time and effort on each."I want to enhance the type of photography that we are already familiar with, to create images on a photographic base by using computer technology. Thus I want to produce images that I have never produced before."


As a child he had a small darkroom where he developed his skills. A short stay at university studying electronic engineering found him bored and led to him doing features work in Frankfurt. Two years of his own studio in Paris saw him working in fashion, portraiture and landscape. He now feels that we are at the beginning of a new age. Digital imaging is going to be more important than ever. To those photographers who do not yet use it in their work he says "Don't be afraid of the new technology. Rather, use it to improve and adapt your own work."


Jochen is not afraid of being labeled "digital artist", to have a liking for the (much maligned) "computer-art". "I am making more of a change of direction in my work but if there is a fundamental truth in photography it is that a good shot is the base of all materials. You must have good content to work with. Although I call myself a digital artist, I have to take good photographs in the first place, otherwise I do not have a firm foundation to produce the type and images I require." Well, if there more digital works of art like his, maybe the stereotype opinion about this genre wouldn't have come into being.


"My own work does not go away from photography even though I use digital imaging to change my photographic content. Digital imaging my way - I call the results hyperPhoto - is merely an extension of photography and certainly not all photographers will go this way. However, I firmly believe they must go digital".


We are very glad to present eight of his hyperPhotos, masterpieces as we think, in our Gallery. But go and see for yourself.


© for all images:
Jochen Brennecke
Exhibit design:
Gerd Marstedt, The Fine Site