Daniel & Geo Fuchs TOYGIANTS – Photography

Daniel & Geo Fuchs TOYGIANTS – Photography

With the TOYGIANTS exhibition, we are showing one of the most important series by the internationally renowned artist couple Daniel & Geo Fuchs – a visually stunning project about pop culture, a passion for collecting and visual identity. In addition, we are showing works from the more recent series Greeks & Romans, a contemporary reflection on classical ideals, body culture and today’s approach to nudity.

TOYGIANTS – pop culture as a monument

Pop, colourful, wild – these are the first impressions conveyed by the TOYGIANTS. But there is much more behind the colourful façade: the iconic figures of pop culture are staged in monumental portraits – individually or in surprising groupings that give rise to new, often ambiguous narratives. What appears playful at first glance quickly reveals deeper levels that could not be more topical: Power, ideology, childhood, consumption and memory, hopes and fears intertwine in the rigid faces of the plastic avatars.

The series originated in 2004, when Daniel & Geo Fuchs discovered two imposing Japanese robot figures in a shop window during a walk through Berlin – the beginning of an artistic fascination. Shortly afterwards, they met the collector Selim Varol, who had amassed over 15,000 figures – one of the largest collections of its kind in the world – and began taking artistic photographs of his collection.

For TOYGIANTS, the artists selected individual figures, staged them like living models, built their own studio with perfect lighting conditions and photographed them with a dignity that is usually only found in human portraits. The results are astonishing: the figures, which were originally intended as toys or merchandise, develop an emotional depth and physical presence.

In addition to well-known figures such as Batman, Godzilla or Andy Warhol and Astro Boy, politically connoted or subversive characters also appear – and with them themes such as identity, gender roles, cultural coding or violence. TOYGIANTS is therefore far more than just a pop-cultural eye-catcher: it is a visual analysis of our social projection surfaces.

In the exhibition, we are showing large-format works that are presented in specially produced, satinised acrylic frames. The presentation is complemented by new editions with current motifs from the series – including previously unpublished combinations of figures that once again demonstrate how changeable, touching and at the same time provocative this series is.

GREEKS & ROMANS – classic sculpture rethought

The exhibition is complemented by works from the Greeks & Romans series, which celebrated its world premiere at photo basel in 2024. In this series of works, Daniel & Geo Fuchs explore the classical sculpture of antiquity – and translate it into a contemporary visual language. The depictions of Greek and Roman sculptures were once an expression of idealised human physicality – symbols of beauty, strength, heroism and divinity. Today, however, we are experiencing a contradictory approach to nudity: on the one hand, it is constantly staged in the media, while on the other hand it is increasingly censored – as in recent cases from Dubai, Florida or Scotland, where even Michelangelo’s David is considered ‘offensive’.

Daniel & Geo Fuchs address this contradiction. Their photographs of ancient sculptures show more than just stone material: through digital processing, colour modulation and targeted interventions, they create new perspectives on the historical works. They modernise the view – and transform the millennia-old ideals into contemporary pictorial spaces in which questions about body norms, identity, taboo and representation are posed anew. The clear aesthetic of the presentation stands in deliberate contrast to the pathos of the classical sculptures – and challenges viewers to see the seemingly familiar with new eyes.

Two series – one dialogue

When viewed together, the exhibition unfolds an exciting dialogue between two cultural worlds: the pop culture of the 20th century and the ideals of antiquity. TOYGIANTS shows us how much we charge our world with symbols, heroes and artificial identities – Greeks & Romans questions how deep these imprints go.

Both series reflect the way Daniel & Geo Fuchs work: precise, conceptually well thought-out, always with a double bottom. Their works challenge us to confront our visual habits, our values and the way we perceive beauty, power and transience.

Daniel & Geo Fuchs

Daniel & Geo Fuchs (*1966 / 1969) have been working together since the mid-1990s and are known for their conceptual photography series. Their artworks have been shown in numerous international exhibitions and can be found in many public and private collections. Further information about the artists here.