Colours of the Earth
Photographs by Bernhard Edmaier
„Ravishes the eye ... the effect is overwhelming." New York Times, USA
World seen from above
Of all the heavenly bodies that are known to us in the black infinity of the universe, the earth is the most colourful. Bernhard Edmaier unites the subtle diversity of colours in his fascinating project “Colours of the Earth,” which made him travel extensively all over the world for many years. His aerial photographs taken from helicopters and small aeroplanes show the whole wondrous range of colours to be found on our planet: the many shades of yellow, orange, red, brown and grey of rocks and desert sands, the white and grey of glaciers, the variegated greens of vegetation and, of course, the blue colours of water and ice.
„ ... the photographer Bernhard Edmaier glances at our Earth as if he were looking through God’s eye. And shows the Earth as it has been creating itself." Der Spiegel, Germany
Photography meets science
For more than 25 years, the photographer Bernhard Edmaier, who initially studied geology, has been very deeply dedicated to photographing the surface of our planet – the forces of Nature which form the Earth. His seemingly abstract aerial images, in which high quality photography and science unite, have caused international sensation and have been received with great excitement by international audiences.
" … In this way, the functional principles of our planet are translated into aesthetically perfect images.” German Society of Photography
His art photography is firmly rooted in geology. It is his aim to present the manifold colours, forms and structures which the Earth has created without man’s interference. For his books and other photographic projects Bernhard Edmaier travels extensively to deserted and still untouched corners of the globe.
“I view my work as a continuous expedition to explore the surface of our planet, especially in places where it was formed by the external forces of nature such as water, wind or ice or by its internal forces such as tectonic movements, volcanic or orogenetic activity.”
Goethe’s colour wheel
The exhibition is inspired by Goethe’s colour analysis and his colour wheel, arranged according to this scheme and complemented by the explanations of the creation of the earth tones provided by the science author Dr. Angelika Jung-Huettl:
“The oceans are blue, which means blue is the most widespread colour on the earth. Nevertheless, the water of the seas, lakes and rivers sparkles blue only when it is not clouded with floating particles. This is because we can see only the blue part of the sunlight when it is reflected off clear water. The rock of the earth’s crust can also look blue, for example shists, marble or clay rock, when they include special mineral compounds or remnants of organic material.”
Image collections published internationally and awarded
In 2001 Bernhard Edmaier received the prestigious Hasselblad Master Award. For “Geoart – Kunstwerk Erde,” he was awarded the Kodak Photo Book Prize in 1998. His first image collections „Vulkane“ (1994), „Eisige Welten“ (1996), and „Geoart Deutschland“ (2003) were consecutively voted The Most Beautiful Science Books of the Year. International published: „EARTHSONG” (Phaidon 2004, translated into 7 languages), „Earth on Fire” (Phaidon 2009, English), „EarthART – Colours of the Earth” (Phaidon 2013, English) and „WATER” (Prestel 2015, English and German).
| Objects | 50 photographs of the highest quality, mounted behind anti-reflective Luxar museum glass; sizes: 5 motifs (section openers) 110 x 110 cm, 45 motifs 60 x 60 cm; with geological and geographical text in English written by science author Dr. Angelika Jung-Hüttl |
| Catalogue | EarthART – Colours of the Earth |
| Presentation area | 150 – 300 sqm, modifiable in size |