Thomas Bak
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7f/Thomas_Bak_Photographer_Gothic_Surrealism_Hermetica_Atavisms.jpg/220px-Thomas_Bak_Photographer_Gothic_Surrealism_Hermetica_Atavisms.jpg)
Thomas Tadeus Bak is a German visual artist, art director, writer and composer, mainly known for his work in photography.
Biography
[edit]Bak was born on April 20, 1978, in Szczecin, Northern Poland. In 1981 his parents emigrated over Denmark to the Federal Republic of Germany and settled in Bremen in 1983.[1] He was entitled as "Germany’s Youngest Draughtsman"[2] at the age of eleven due to his first publication in a German graphic magazine for mature readers and elected twice as the "Official Graphic Designer of the Hochschule fuer Kuenste Bremen" during his studies of Book/Graphic Design and Photography at this university.[3] Bak worked as an art director in European design studios and advertising agencies before he began to lecture the Photographic Master Class of the IAA[4] (International Academy of Arts) at the age of twenty-seven in Germany, France and Poland. His works are featured in various releases for the music industry,[5] including publications of former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy and Dalis Car. He was the youngest photographer ever decorated with the Reinhart-Wolf-Preis and the BFF (Bund Freischaffender Foto-Designer) as the "Best of the Best" in 2004.[6]
Bibliography
[edit]Primary literature (books by Bak)
[edit]- Ene Mene Mysterium. Eine Sechspostkartennovelle. (1993)
- Den Hænden nach ein Hundt. (1995)
- AThMN. An Act of Tarot. (1995)
- Vropa. 22 Photographies. (1996)
- BVCH DER VVAND=LVNGEN & VVIRBEL=SÆVREN. Fynff=Zehn Blætter ihrer Længe nach betichtet. (1998)
- V.R.Op.A. : C I — IV. (1999)
- COSMONAVCIONES et Polaroïdes. (1999)
- Hand= bzw. Flusz=Abdrykke; Zwölf Absichten bald "Cosmonauciones" tätoliert. (2000)
- Atavista : 33 Photographic Compositions. (2000)
- Arche Nada; Yber dem Vm=Gang mit Todtem. Allsoh : "Gryner Fuchs" tætolirt. (2001)
- Vff=Tact zum Eiligen Kriege; Polaroïden & Tincturen. (Allrot, 2002)
- Fynff Tincturen. (Pan Press, 2002)
- The Tourist, Plates I — XXXV. (2006)
- Ex Ceterra Incognita, Capricci Erotici e Verticale. (2008)
- The Tourist, Plates XXXVI — LXXX. (2012)
- Ornament City, Essays & Capricci. (TK Verlag Hamburg, 2012)
- Psylens. (Pan Press / S.Ph.In.X. Camera Obscura International, 2013)
- On Love considered as one of the Fine Arts. Essays & Essails by Bak (TK Verlag Hamburg, 2014)
- Les Chants de Marlboror / AFFORISMEN IN SPE (Pan Press, 2015)
Secondary literature (selection)
[edit]- Inferso. KUBO Art Award 2000, Xzeit Edition Berlin (ISBN 3980755509)
- Manfred Schmalriede, Norbert Waning: Reinhart-Wolf-Preis 2004
- Bund freischaffender Fotodesigner: Das BFF-Jahrbuch 2005 (ISBN 3933989256)
- Peter Rautmann, Jörn Christiansen: Vier Jahrzehnte Fotografie in Bremen. Focke-Museum, 2003 (ISBN 3897571609)
- Ein tierisches Vergnuegen. Kunstsammlung der Sparkasse Bremen / Edition Hachmann, 2006 (ISBN 9783939429234)
- ATAVISTA. L'Œuvre Photographique du Thomas Bak. 2006 (Cannes, France)
- Gemeinsam, aber getrennt. 2008 (Gesellschaft "Forum e.V." zur Foerderung der Polnischen Kultur, Ministry of Culture and Communication Germany)
- BAK = ATAVISTA. The Photographic Works of Thomas Tadeus Bak. Second Edition, 2008 (IAA Publications, St.Magnus)
- Bak — The Photographic Capriccio. Sheets from 1998 to 2008 (Galerie Hilaneh von Kories / Photoselection GmbH)
- TAZ / Die Tageszeitung, 1990 (newspaper interview in German)
- Profifoto #2, 2005 (interview in German, 8 pages)
- Zoo Magazine #20, edited by Bryan Adams. 2008 (interview & retrospective in English, 8 pages)
- Profifoto #10, 2008 (retrospective in German, 6 pages)
- Schwarzweiss #87, Das Magazin fuer Fotografie. 2012 (retrospective 2008 — 2012 in German, 8 pages)
- Alambic Parisienne #2, 2013 (interview in French; featuring current works, 8 pages)
Exhibition history (selection)
[edit]- 1999 "Three Positions of Contemporary Photography" at the Profile Intermedia 02, Congress Center Bremen, Germany
- "AThMN," Media Center Bremen
- 2000 "Inferso," Municipal Gallery (Bremen) & "Inferso," Kulturbrauerei GmbH (Berlin, Germany)
- 2001 "Paradogs," Profile Intermedia 04 (Bremen)
- 2002 "Four Decades of Photography in Bremen," Museum for the State's History
- 2004 "A=N," photokina (Cologne, Germany)
- "A=N," Design Center (Stuttgart, Germany)
- "AThMN/Metamorphoses," Institut Français & Goethe-Institut Budapest (Hungary)
- 2005 "V.R.Op.A." at the headquarters of the Tokyo Journal (Japan)
- Gallery B (Nagoya, Japan)
- 2006 "Ein tierisches Vergnügen," Sparkasse Bremen
- Retrospective "Atavista" at the gallery Marc Piano (Cannes, France)
- Retrospective "Atavista" at the International Academy of Arts (Lesmona, Germany)
- 2008 Retrospective "Das Photographische Capriccio. Blätter aus den Jahren 1998 bis 2008" at Galerie Hilaneh von Kories / Photoselection GmbH (Hamburg, Germany)
Movies
[edit]- 1993 : Incubus (22 min.)
- 1999 : Χάλκανθον ~ SECRET FIGVRES VVRITTEN ON VVATER (8 min.)
- 2005 : Atavista (40 min.)
- 2008 : Edgar Alien Poe (28 min.)
- 2012 : Rainbows On Fire (4 min.)
- 2013 : L’OVE is the LAVVN / Love is the Lawn, MMXIII (6 min.)
References
[edit]- ^ Haase, Fritz. "Thomas Bak / Das Photographische Capriccio / Blätter aus den Jahren 1998 – 2008" [The Photographic Capriccio / Sheets from the years 1998 - 2008] (PDF) (in German). Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ TAZ / Die Tageszeitung, 1990 (newspaper interview)
- ^ Kalenderbuch 2001: Ein Projekt an der HFK Bremen in der Veranstaltung "Druckfrisch". Hochschule für Künste. 2001.
- ^ "IAA - Mappenvorbereitung, Mappenkurse, Kurzstudium und Kreative Kurse". Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ Thomas Tadeus Bak artistdirect.com [dead link]
- ^ Manfred Schmalriede, Norbert Waning: Reinhart-Wolf-Preis 2004 (ISBN 3933989256)