Pascal Kobeh’s ‘Underwater Abstractions’ photography exhibition is an original and mysterious way of exploring the depths of our oceans.
An award-winning and self-taught photographer, Pascal Kobeh has travelled around the world to capture the depths of every ocean through his unique perspective. Pascal Kobeh enjoys the mysterious side of photography. In 2005, he was in charge of a team of photographers for Disney’s ‘Oceans’, an ecological documentary which is part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world. But this exhibition shows a different, more personal side to his photography. To create this series, he let himself be transported by his senses, often diving at night to achieve the results which are currently on display.
Portraits of coral, parrot fish, oysters and sleeper sharks make up the exhibition. Many of the pieces depict something that people cannot identify at first glance, which is something that interests Pascal Kobeh. The pieces were created with macro lenses and mostly shot on film.
Pascal Kobeh feels almost as though the subjects in the series chose him. Each time he dives, he doesn’t know what he’s going to encounter. Pascal Kobeh experiences the depths of the oceans like an abstract painter, using light, luck and nature instead of paints and brushes. Before he dives, he is unsure of how the photographs will turn out, and sometimes comes up from a dive without having taken a single picture. But other times, a stunning creature or colour palette will reveal itself to him and he’ll achieve a beautiful composition.
15 photographs were chosen for the exhibition, a surprising look at the flora and fauna that populate our oceans. Dive in to ‘Underwater Abstractions’ at Galerie Gildo Pastor Center, Monday to Friday until the 30th of November.