HR Giger by Camille Vivier
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A unique visual foray into the fantastic worlds of artist HR Giger
1st edition
, 2022Text English and German
Hardback
240 pages, 108 color and 71 b/w illustrations
26 x 35 cm
ISBN 978-3-03942-116-9
The art of HR Giger (1940–2014), Swiss-born creator of the legendary monster in Ridley Scott's movie Alien, is currently experiencing a renaissance and is featured in exhibitions as well as in magazines around the globe. This lavish large-format volume offers never-before-seen insights into Giger's private house and garden, both of which are populated by biomechanical sculptures, airbrush paintings, Alien furniture, objects, prints, and self-portraits. French photographer Camille Vivier—best known for her work for Stella McCartney and Cartier—enjoyed exclusive access to the artist’s Zurich home and studio for this book, where she worked on her own as well as with models in a series of photo sessions.
Vivier’s around 200 photographs form an atmospheric tribute to the arguably most distinguished representative of Fantastic Realism. In addition to images of Giger’s studio and his life-size sculptures, Vivier has also documented some hundred objects and artworks, as well as his famous Alien-style garden railroad. An essay by French publicist Farbrice Paineu places HR Giger’s art in the wider context of pop culture and the genre of horror movies.
Camille Vivier, born in Paris in 1977, has been working at the intersection of art and fashion since the outset of her career as a photographer. Her images are published in magazines such as Purple Magazine, i-D, and Dazed & Confused. Her clients include international fashion designers and luxury brands such as Stella McCartney, Martin Margiela, Isabel Marant, and Cartier.
Beda Achermann is a Zurich-based creative director, editor, and designer. His firm Studio Achermann works for major international architects, artists, cultural institutions, galleries, fashion brands, and trade and industrial corporations.
"The book and project as a whole thus capture a sort of uneasy equilibrium between the grotesque, the sensual, and the domestic, with occasional splashes of wry humor. It’s a fitting tribute to an artist who used extreme imagery to explore the human condition." John Peck, Degraded Orbit