PIONEERING UNDERWATER ARTIST, ANDREAS FRANKE BRINGS HIS PHANTASY FAIRYTALE TO NIYAMA and HUVAFEN FUSHI

12-17-2013

World’s first underwater resort-based art exhibition at Per AQUUM’s two Maldives resorts kicks off 2014 Dream Calendar

  

December 17, 2013, Maldives: New for 2014, Andreas Franke, one of the world’s most revolutionary artists, will be displaying his magical Phantasy Fairytale exhibition for guests of NIYAMA and Huvafen Fushi, giving guests at these Per AQUUM Maldivian properties the opportunity to experience the depths of the ocean at a completely new level. Phantasy Fairytale will be on display from 4th March 2014 through the end of May 2014 as part of Per AQUUM’s renowned Dream Calendar.

 

Trailblazing another WORLD FIRST, Per AQUUM will simultaneously unveil four stunning artworks underwater at NIYAMA and Huvafen Fushi, highlighting the brilliance of the underwater structures at both properties. At NIYAMA, the artworks will be viewed from SubSix, the world’s first underwater music club, where guests will be able to appreciate the hypnotizing images whilst dancing the night away or enjoying a long sub aquatic lunch. The LIME Spa at Huvafen Fushi will take ocean living to a whole new level as spa goers enjoying treatments will be able to lose themselves in Franke’s artworks as they are being pampered under the sea.

 

Committed to breaking boundaries, this Per AQUUM and Andreas Franke collaboration spins the typical art exhibition on its head giving the world a mind blowing interpretation of underwater life….. offering views underwater!

 

Andreas Franke’s fascination with the sub aquatic world stems from his two passions in life: photography and diving. His “Sinking World” concept, which he created in 2010, is a natural combination of the two. Years ago, whilst diving on an Austrian shipwreck in Croatia, Andreas took pictures and upon returning home to Vienna, he realized that “something was missing.”  That something was the mystical creatures that are recognizable as the protagonists in Franke’s “Sinking World” images and now the “Phantasy Fairytale” works too.

 

“Phantasy Fairytale” steps away from the shipwreck context that surrounds “The Sinking World” work and moves into a more fantastical realm drawing inspiration from Western fairytale stories, and thus further crossing the borderlines between fantasy and real life. The Snow Queen, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White will all be present in the “Phantasy Fairytale” exhibition with the beautiful submarine topography of the Ocean creating a perfect atmospheric backdrop.

 

Coral reefs resembling trees and the underwater vegetation reminiscent of a forest undergrowth bring fantasy and reality together to create an extraordinary finished product, available only to guests at Huvafen Fushi and NIYAMA.

 

The images are created by Franke undertaking two separate photo shoots; one using an underwater backdrop followed by a secondary studio shoot with real life models that bring the final visual to life. These secondary shots are then superimposed onto the original images to create the finished ‘Phantasy Fairytale’. To secure the art underwater, they will be encased in Plexiglass and suspended from the underwater structures of Subsix at NIYAMA and the LIME Spa at Huvafen Fushi. Franke says his creative work is only the first part of the process. Once the images are submerged, it is up to the sea and nature to create the final finished product. Together with algae and microorganisms, the salt water adorns the pictures from the world above. It is the individual signature of the ocean that embellishes the photographs, a bizarre and beautiful touch of impermanence.

 

Andreas Franke says of his work: “With my photographs, I want to pull the spectators into unreal and strange worlds. Mystified scenes of a fairytale play within a fictional space. Dreamworlds you can get lost in or that you can identify with. This creates a new and unexpected atmosphere. This work shows very much of myself, since I am always on the lookout for stunning themes to create new images that have never been seen before.

 

In line with Per AQUUM's commitment to environmental awareness within the Maldives, coral regeneration programs are in place at both NIYAMA and Huvafen Fushi. Franke’s “Phantasy Fairytale” will be sensitively and carefully hung from the underwater structures in order to maintain the harmony of the underwater environment. Following the exhibition, guests will have the opportunity to purchase the art, and a percentage of all proceeds will go to Per AQUUM’s coral regeneration program.

-Ends –

Per AQUUM Retreats&Resorts;Residences offers a different kind of ethos: one that is passionate, visionary, imaginative and naturally modern. The architecture and design of each project is inspired by the individual beauty of the property’s host culture, while development is based on principles of realism, sustainability and responsibility. Renowned for creating bold, imaginative spaces and signature attention to detail the Per AQUUM name has built significant brand value within the top echelons of the travel industry. The current portfolio includes Huvafen Fushi and NIYAMA in the Maldives and Desert Palm in Dubai.

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