Leo Caillard
Fine Art | Last Updated: March 28, 2024
Leo Caillard was born in Paris in 1985 and possesses a characteristic of the rarest of fine art photographers. His childhood fascination with Einstein’s relativity research, twinned with the more recent work of theoretical physicist, Brian Greene, permeates his approach and perspective. In the manner of a meticulous scientist, Caillard studies environments and imagines, “what if reality was not as we see it…?”
Graduating in 2008 from France’s internationally reputed Gobelins School of Visual Communication, Caillard traveled to the US to spend a year in New York photographing and absorbing the “reality” of this great, modern metropolis.
With these new insights, he returned to Paris and began developing the series of works, “Art Games”, an observation of the role of art, its’ institutions & the manner of human interaction with creativity. Since its release & subsequent exhibition, this project has generated significant and wide ranging interest from both the art world & the media industry.
A second series of works, War Games, came about through a visit through Paris’ business quarter, La Defense. Juxtaposing the sleek, modern architecture of this district with the interjection of an inventory of deadly military armament yields quite unexpected results.
Apart from the dynamics of Caillard’s imagination, what is apparent is his total mastery of the 21st century tools of 3D image and photographic manipulation… A tank wedged over the entrance of a luxury apartment building – at first glance, it appears totally natural, but on closer examination, reveals something much more sinister and provocative.
Arousing curiosity by unexpected associations, Caillard’s childhood obsession with deep science continues to inform his choice of subject matter and its interpretation. His most recent work, dressing the Renaissance and ancient statues of the Louvre as contemporary “hipsters”, forces the viewer to question what is real and, what could be real?
An irrepressible curiosity coupled with a meticulous mastery of current imaging technologies, Leo Caillard is a 21st century photographer who’s insights cause us to question the relativity of our daily experiences.
“Photography is a very technical hobby. A lot of different lenses, camera bodies, flash etc. The question isn’t to have everything but the right thing for the pictures you’re doing.
I like to keep it simple: « Less is more ».
I started photography collecting a lot of different lenses & vintage cameras ( From Rolleiflex to Canon digital Lenses, with a lot of different accessories etc… )
Finally, I decided to sell everything a few years ago. I kept the essentials: My Canon 5D Mark II for outside photography and my Hasselblad H Body with a P45+ digital back for Studio shoots.
According to myself, this is the perfect quality material I need to create my photo. I don’t have to think about which lens I am going to use etc…
It sets my mind free & I can focus myself on the essential: The people & the scene I have in front of my eyes.”
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