„Ich sehe was, was Du nicht siehst“

He is a photographer in the best, traditional sense: Jakob Kupfer distills diffuse color and light reflections into painterly originals (unique pieces) in his photographic works. In the "Lichtbilder," he reveals hidden, light-painted fantasy worlds. With his light objects "FADES," he dissolves these frozen moments back into a constant state of change.

Kupfer's images remain mere color streaks until someone gazes upon them. This applies to every artwork, but is especially true for these pieces: Only in the act of viewing does genuine art emerge from the manifest spectrum of colors. The calm, soft trails of color and light, which seem so gentle yet are imbued with untamed energy, ignite the imagination and crystallize fantasy into imagined images. This makes Kupfer's Lichtbilder less like traditional photographs and more like scripts for artistic interventions. They serve as a permanent ticket to ever-new visual happenings. Kupfer's Lichtbilder demand an active way of seeing that we thought we had long forgotten, and their contemplation insists on that rare leisure we seldom allow ourselves. To look in this way says little about the depicted subject, but much about the viewer. One might almost speak of a therapeutic way of seeing, comparing the Lichtbilder to Rorschach tests, if anyone other than the viewer themselves were interested in the outcome or sought to interpret or evaluate their performance in any way. But that is not the case. The landscapes of light serve solely as a vehicle for the joy of fantasy and sensuality. They demand nothing and yet open the door to the resonance of very existential experiences: security, love, nostalgia, longing, desires, and yes, even fears come alive in these Lichtbilder—just as they do wherever we venture into new territory.

"What we cannot recognize, we are allowed to reimagine. Where we no longer need to understand, the space for imagination begins." — Jakob Kupfer

"Lichtbilder"
The "Lichtbilder" make visible, as snapshots from the continuously changing flow of light, hidden, light-painted fantasy worlds that we cannot perceive with our senses set to "sharp." If we allow ourselves to engage with them, they lead us to our own images, fantasies, and imaginations. This is made possible by the absence of any concrete reference points. Everything the viewer perceives arises from their personal interpretation and current state. This is where the true magic of the images lies: they demand nothing, impose no statement upon us, but quietly offer themselves as a starting point for exploring our own reality. Kupfer understands his "Lichtbilder," although created through photography, as paintings; unique pieces made of pigment, wax, and paper.

"FADES"
With the "FADES," which began in 2012, the artistic expression expands. The frozen moment of the "Lichtbild" is dissolved again, thus removing the familiar convention of image viewing from the eye. The permanent, almost imperceptible change creates a new constant of perception. The process of transformation is barely noticeable, yet the effect—that the presumed/remembered image is gone in the next moment, has changed—confuses, questions one's own perception, and captivates at the same time. Light here is no longer just an object of observation but becomes an active part of the representation. "FADES" are "digital uniques." They are not only content-wise unstable but actually non-existent: they come into being when supplied with light (electricity). The two groups of works touch upon, each in their own way and in their interaction with one another, two fundamental questions of human self-understanding: on one hand, the question of reality, and on the other, the question of presence. In the "Lichtbilder," we can explore our inner reality, experience our sensuality, and develop our imagination.

"It is not the things themselves that disturb people, but the idea of the things." (Epictetus, c. 50 - 125 AD) The English term "Fade" describes the moment of transformation, transience, and emergence.

Jakob Kupfer
The consistent implementation of the artistic approach compels the person behind it to also choose the absolute absence embodied by the pseudonym "Jakob Kupfer." Neither a seemingly recognizable image content nor a "real" person with all the resulting interpretations should influence the viewer's free perception.

Image credit: Lichtbild #186, Jakob Kupfer, 2012, pigment print, wax on paper, Aludibond, 100 x 102 cm