Based in Paris, Iranian born Chayan Khoi is an artist known for his mysterious, futuristic, sometimes apocalyptic, images. He is an avid traveller fascinated by everything he encounters. This 50-year-old “cyber photographer” seeks to picture the beauty, diversity and unknown of the world. Below is “Return to the Jungle”, one of his most famous pieces and one of my favorites.
Two recent works, unveiled at yesterday’s vernissage of Chayan’s latest exhibition in Geneva, remind me of Mad Max, Fallout and Mutant Chronicles. The submarine is docked to what appears to be a hidden, arctic research station. The mechanical sharks zooming around the l’arc de triomphe are bizarre and frightening. How intriguing!
While I’m not sure what Chayan wants to communicate with these steampunkish pieces of beautiful stuff, I’m absolutely fascinated by how the frames, resembling some sort of command centres, leaves us with (at least) a remote feeling of being in control. Perhaps it’s a warning sign of what’s to come? Thank you for the heads-up, Chayan.
And, what in the world is the silver bullet pictured above? Made out of what appears to be a surfboard, metal and electronics, this is the first thing that caught my eye when stepping into Le New Garage. I’m a sucker for science fiction. Chayan’s spaceship (or perhaps it’s the submarine?), blinking in sync with the rest of the room, makes me feel at home.
I love scrapbooks. But I have never seen any like the ones pictured above. Reflecting his life as a nomad, traveling nine months each year, these piles of memories tell us the history of our friend and his sources of inspiration. In the days of social media, it makes me happy when someone goes beyond Instagram and 140 characters to tell their story.
Chayan Khoi is a cyber photographer extraordinaire. A man of many talents, working with images, frames and installations. His out-of-this-world beautiful stuff gives us insight into the limits of our own imagination. If you happen to be in Geneva this weekend, you don’t want to miss this opportunity. Le New Garage is open 14:00-20:00 and located here:
