Alec
Von Bargen

Born in New York City, Alec Von Bargen recently exhibited at the 54th Venice Biennale and has again been invited to show at the 56th edition of the Biennale, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the OCT Museum in Shanghai, China and Les Rencontres D’Arles Festival, France, amongst others. His work has won numerous awards including the IPA’s in LA and the PX3’s in Paris. He was a finalist at the 2013 Dubai Emerging Artist Award and was shortlisted for Aesthetica Prize UK. He was finalist for the Terry O'Neill Award and the Celeste Prize in Berlin, Germany. He recently completed a six month project in China having been selected by François-Henri Pinault among others as guest artist at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai. In October 2015, Alec was officially named 'Visual advisor' to the Venice Fim Festival's Biennale College. Alec Von Bargen is a social anthropologist of sorts. He captures aesthetc instances resonating true with their historical, political and social contexts. He uses nothing but a small point and shoot camera to create his images, videos, murals and installations. Although his research is meticulous he does not prep, pre-produce, light or arrange for his shoots. He works all over the world. STATEMENT Artist by profession, photographer by inspiration, playwright by 'obstination', actor by dedication and world traveller by addiction. Born in New York, grew up in England and Mexico, German parents, 5 and 1/3 languages plus a healthy passion for all things Asia. Carbon footprint's off the chart yet recycling is fundamental as are all things green. Human rights are an obsession: live and let live. Some use the term ‘Wanderlust’, others claim to be “In search of”, many are clearly running away from and quite a few are simply lost. I can’t relate to any of the above and yet I’m guilty of all four. I’m somewhat the consequence of a lifestyle-inherited… the by-product of a set of circumstances… all I know is that my life is one long journey and that I spend most nights dreaming on foreign bed sheets, conversing with fragrances of adopted pillowcases many. Am I exhausted? At times. Do I complain? Almost always. Would I change it all? Never! My images are my waking companions, my accomplices… my alibi. My work reveals the conversation I sustain with the world. It is immediate. I do not stage, light or prep. My subjects are the people, the places, the moments that share my journey… those emotions I meet along the way… They are a mood.