Artist Andreas Franke loves both photography and diving. In 2010, he merged his talent and passion for both hobbies with his long-term dream of an extraordinary art project, resulting in the opening of the world’s first underwater photo exhibit. Franke’s first exhibition was on the USNS Vandenberg, a shipwreck off the coast of Key West, Florida.
The world became fascinated, and so began Franke’s series of works The Sinking World. As part of these works Franke says he wants to challenge viewers’ ideas of normality, “With my photographs of The Sinking World, I want to pull spectators into unreal and strange worlds,” he says. “Ordinary scenes of the past play within a fictional space and become dreamworlds you can get lost in or you can identify with.”
As part of these submerged galleries, Franke arranges for his plexiglass covered photographs to be installed in areas such as shipwrecks and artificial reefs for temporary exhibitions. While on display, these photographs are then transformed as marine life settles on the surface, creating truly unique pieces of artwork; formed by the sea.
You can find out more about Franke’s work, including how to purchase some of his prints, by visiting his website here
Click through our gallery above to see some of these incredible artworks. All images courtesy of the artist.
