Introduction

“My pictures should enchant people, inspire them to dream, and tell them stories,” says Irene Kung. In her Timeless Machine series, the trained painter creates a connection between a perfectly engineered machine and timeless art. We see the iconic Porsche 911 in unexpected places – among snow-capped mountain peaks or between the skyscrapers in the canyon-like streets of New York City.

Her expressive photographs seem nearly like paintings. Kung takes inspiration from Renaissance frescos, especially the use of light by artists such as Piero della Francesca, Titian, and Caravaggio. “I’ve transferred the techniques of the old masters to photography,” Kung says with regard to her creative process. The artist works with different layers, highlights certain areas, and even digitally “paints over” portions in her post-processing. “In my mind, I am still a painter, but I use my camera like a brush.”

In this way, Irene Kung translates the graceful Porsche 911 into her own visual vocabulary, one that is mysterious, dramatic, and timeless. Her narrative photographs are like film scenes that take us through dreamlike stories, sometimes blurring the boundaries between reality and illusion.

Curriculum vitæ

Irene Kung was born in Switzerland in 1958, has an education in graphic design, and has studied painting in Rome. After finishing her studies, she began to focus more and more on photography. Her work has appeared in numerous solo exhibitions in London, New York, Beijing and Buenos Aires. Kung has participated in art fairs including Art Miami, ParisPhoto and MIA Fair Art Milano. After spending several years in Madrid and Rome, she now lives in Switzerland.