Artist Biography
Christoph Martin Schmid aka CRISTOBAL is a contemporary photographer who has achieved international success working in both commercial and fine art photography. Following his debut in Paris in the early Nineties, he has worked on a variety of fashion editorial and portrait assignments for international publications including Interview Magazine New York, Vogue Germany, GQ London, Tatler UK, Harpers Bazaar Italy, Sunday Times London, The Independent London, Los Angeles Times, amongst others.
After the start of the new millennium, he shifted his focus towards fine art photography in the form of conceptual storytelling; telling a whole story in one frame, as he describes it. This part of his work has been showcased in a variety of international publications and was documented in the book ‘Trouble In Paradise’, published in 2013 by Seltmann in Berlin, Germany.
In 2015 he decided to concentrate on exploring the possibilities of abstract photography, which has since become the center of his focus. In this new body of work, he simply uses the camera as an optical instrument which allows him to create abstract expressions of what he feels is present. ‘Jazz with a Camera’ is how he describes this unique visual style.
Cristobal, how he calls himself nowadays, has since received a well-deserved acknowledgment for his work as a photographer and he has taken his place in the contemporary photography art scene.
Artist Statement
I aim to capture the essence of a scene, be it an object, a location, or an activity. I simply use the camera as an optical instrument to create abstract expressions of what I feel is present. Though remaining recognizable, the subjects are not represented exactly as they appear to the human eye. By submitting them to abstraction using a manual process, I intend to encapsulate an intrinsic quality. In effect, the images are perceived in a more intuitive way.
Publications
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Publisher: Seltmann & Söhne, Berlin 2013.
Author: Bernhard Bauhofer
Hardcover,112 pages, 56 plates
ISBN 978-3-942831-80-2
CRISTOBAL – Photographs
Publisher: White Concepts Gallery Berlin, 2017
Authors: Marc Peschke, Nicole Loeser, Cristobal
Design: Ben Johnson
ISBN: 978-0-620-77715-5
Films
HOLE IN ONE, short film 5:00 min, New York 2001
Official selection Shorts! International Festival Amsterdam 2001
CANDY GIRLS, music video 3:00, London 1997
Featured on BBC chart show.
Awards
Nominee, Fine Art Photography Awards. London 2018
Nominee, Fine Art Photography Awards. London 2017
3x Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards, Los Angeles 2013
Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards, Los Angeles 2012
Winner‚ The 69th International Photographic Salon Of Japan, Tokyo 2009
Winner, Datacolor Competition, Zurich 2009
Exhibitions & Events
2022 Phantom Cars NFT collection drop
2021 NTU Media Arts, Singapore, Guest lecturer
2020 Swiss Art Expo, Aug 20-24th, Zurich/CH
2019 NTU Media Arts, Singapore, Guest lecturer
2018 Fine Art Photography Awards, London/UK
2017 Pulse Art Miami, Indian Creek Park, Miami/USA
2017 Fine Art Photography Awards, London/UK
2017 Galerie Sakura, Paris /FR
2016 World Art Fair Dubai, Dubai/UAE
2016 Galerie Sakura, Paris/FR
2015 Concours Photo Ville de Calais/FR
2015 Whiteconcepts Gallery, Berlin/DE
2014 Galerie V17, Berlin/DE
2013 Salon de la Photo, Paris/FR
2012 Galerie V17, Berlin/DE
2009 Ministry of Art and Science, Wiesbaden/DE
2009 69th Photographic Salon Tokyo/JP
2008 ArtMbassy Gallery, Berlin/DE