Couleurs by Réhahn Issue 1

NEWS www.r e ha hnphotog rapher.co m COULEURS BY RÉHAHN GALLERY PUBLICATION

2 COULEURS BY RÉHAHN GALLERIES

4

UNDERSTANDING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTING

7 From The Sky Hoi An - 2014

THE GIVING BACK PROJECT

ISSUE 1

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1

COULEURS BY RÉHAHN ABOUT RÉHAHN

Part Fine Art Photographer, Part

When Réhahn first visited Vietnam,

he was amazed by the beauty of the country. In his exploration, he found vast landscapes and a people with brilliant, rich cultural traditions. The features of the country moved him; the rolling rice paddies and foothills, the vibrant costumes of its 54 distinct ethnic groups, and traditional practices such as the indigo dying of the Sa Pa region were a colorful and inspiring vision he had never seen.

Réhahn was disappointed, however, to find that the stunning new world he had discovered was so under-represented in visual media. The bright and lively Vietnam of his travels had been, at the time, overshadowed by black and white images of the American-Vietnamese War. An incomplete depiction based on a single period of the country’s history had seemingly frozen the world’s view on such an exciting, wonderful place.

2

Motivated by the magnificence of the land in his personal experience there, Réhahn endeavored to travel throughout Vietnam and capture a more authentic and alive country than what was currently perceived by the rest of the globe. Posting his imagery on social media along the way, he sought to bring the unseen culture, heritage and landscape to the forefront. It was these photographs that garnered the attention of hundreds people all over the world; a following of fans on social media and art buyers soon grew to a large global audience.

Réhahn continued to create his unique travel photography; capturing the cultures of Cuba, Malaysia and India with his work being displayed in mass media publications such as National Geographic and the BBC. In 2014, he opened Couleurs d’Asie by Réhahn in Hoi An - Vietnam, which is now his home. This gallery assembled his images of an unseen Vietnam for travelers and locals alike to share his passion and vision for cultural diversity with them. Later, in 2017, a gallery of the same name was opened in Saigon, and now in 2018, a total of four galleries (two in each city) exist to continue his mission. The galleries, now named Couleurs by Réhahn, tell the story of all the cultures from his world travels over the years.

Documentarian, Réhahn’s portraits command attention while informing you of a reality that deserves acknowledgement. Best known for his work in Vietnam, Cuba and India, Réhahn continues traveling the globe connecting with it’s abundant cultures. One of the most featured photographers on the last 4 years, he has amassed a loyal following in a short span of time. Numerously featured in international media such as: BBC Los Angeles Times National Geographic Business Insider The Independent Foto Digital Travel Live Conde Nast Traveler Elle Paris Match Marie-Claire Esquire Natgeo Forbes.

He has totaled more than 500 articles and interviews, and over 50 television appearances.

Réhahn continues to be grateful and humbled by all the support and encouragement from both fans, media, governments, and the local people he connects with. With this momentum he launched the “Giving Back Project” allowing him to work directly with families and communities to meet specific needs and requests of the people he documents. It is this kind of work, inspired by the bonds of both his personal and inherited families around the world that fuel the passion to continue this and every new project each year.

In addition to two galleries, Réhahn’s Precious Heritage Museum is a growing collection consisting of 100 photographs and 62 traditional wardrobe ensembles located in his home base of Hoi An. Having met 49 tribes, he continues his mission to bring to light all 54 of Vietnam’s existing ethnic groups.

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1

GALLERIES

COULEURS BY RÉHAHN - SAIGON

COULEURS BY RÉHAHN - HOI AN

Réhahn unveiled his gallery Couleurs by Réhahn – Saigon, on June 1, 2017 on the historical Dong Khoi Street in Ho Chi Minh City. The gallery features some of Réhahn’s most well known pieces, displaying work from Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and Cuba.

The space is divided into two rooms, the first offers a special focus on pieces from Vietnam, and the other on other countries and his “Limited Edition” Fine Art photography.

Opened in 2014, our gallery has earned the title of one of the “must see” places in Hoi An. It is here that you will get to view through our lens to find soul and culture captured in faces around the world.

Founded by Réhahn, one of the world’s most renown travel photographers, the gallery brings together the stories, emotions, lifestyles, and landscapes of his portraits. Here you will find his colorful and impressive works with a focus on his travels through Vietnam and Cuba.

“Many photographers have a sense of responsibility running through their photographic work, whether it’s photojournalists like Ami Vitale and César Dezfuli, whose commitment to their subjects goes far beyond sharing their photographic stories, or photographic artists like Réhahn or Kenro Izu, who use their photography to give something back to the people and places that make their work possible.”

(BBC)

“What’s more, Réhahn has given back to the communities he has photographed through years, helping with repairs to houses, purchasing livestock and supporting the education of several children. Many of his subject he now calls friends.”

(South China Morning Post)

3

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1

UNDERSTANDING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTING Unless you’re a seasoned art collector, the whole process of investing in an art piece can be confusing and leave you stuck with many doubts. Then bring in Fine Art Photography, a relative newcomer to the art world, and you might just be down right overwhelmed.

Fine Art photography has finally taken its place as a respected and beautiful investment. From single private sales like Peter Lik’s “Phantom” sold for US $6.5 million to million dollar auction sales for pieces such as Andreas Gurskey’s “Rhien II”, we see easily that the value is certainly confirmed.

Rhein II - Gursky - 4,3 Millions USD

BUT WHAT DEFINES FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY? Photography is everywhere: in magazines, billboards, news websites and print publications. These days, we might even count social media. So, what separates Fine Art Photography from the images we see every day? The answer lies with the artist. Fine Art Photography is most commonly defined as photography that is produced to express the intentions of the artist; it’s made to say what the artist wants to say and how he or she wants to say it.

This definition may still seem loose or vague. It’s more helpful to see what it is not.

The most common and accessible photos we see these days are what’s called commercial photography. These pieces can be artful, high quality and of course beautiful.

Why isn’t this considered fine art? Commercial photography isn’t fine art because its intent is to sell us something.

From conception, the very best commercial photography is still made with the primary goal of sales. Though a photographer may still be able to sneak in some points of their perspective, because the work isn’t commissioned with that purpose in mind, it is not regarded as fine art.

The other genre of photography we see often is photo journalism. These are the works we see in news publications of varying types. These are solely created to document events realistically and accurately. Like commercial work, these too can have their own attractiveness. However, they are not viewed as fine art photography because of their purpose. Photo journalism captures exactly what is happening as it happens. It must remain as unbiased as possible to do that; the photographer’s opinions and biases must be removed from it.

The above being said, Fine Art Photography can be many different things! Its only limitations rest in the artist, and what they desire to convey through their work. With that premise, potential collectors (or just the curious) are posed with the mission to find the ‘right’ piece for them.

4

Phantom - Peter Lik - 6,5 Millions USD

Gilbert & George- For Her Majesty - 3,7 Millions USD

How Rare is a Piece?

The rarity of an edition is a big consideration when purchasing. The quantity of prints produced will drastically drive a price up or down.

For example, if an artist only makes 5 editions of a single work (3-5 is viewed as a small), a collector can expect the piece to be relatively more expensive than one with 25 prints (viewed as large).

In this vein, a potential buyer should also look at the edition number of the piece they’re interested in. As each print is sold and taken off the public market, the price of each subsequent print will increase as the availability of the editions becomes scarce. This is usually because, although secondary market and private sales can be arranged, most owners have bought wisely, love their photograph and are not willing to part with it. Those willing to sell set their price points much higher than their initial gallery purchase price.

This is the point where a buyer should also gauge how a piece will sell. If one can predict the popularity of a photograph (or the artist) early on, then they can buy early and watch the monetary value of their piece rise.

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1 How Quality is a Print

Next, collectors should look into the quality (and care) with which their print has been produced. Fine Art Photography is processed with the highest quality in mind; taking into account practical aspects like paper durability and color retention/protection as well as the end visual result advanced processing techniques can create. The cost of production (including things such as international shipping) are variables that affect the purchase price as well.

COULEURS BY RÉHAHN GALLERIES

Our Prints & Guarantee of Authenticity

Couleurs by Réhahn is comprised of his distinct and recognizable travel photography. Consisting of imagery from his experiences in Malaysia, India, Cuba and of course Vietnam. His ability to tell a lesser known story of the diverse cultural connections he made in his explorations shines in these works. Through intimate portraiture and vast, full landscapes, Réhahn reveals the unique human experiences of each country through a compelling perspective only he can bring.

At Couleurs by Réhahn, the quantity of editions is held to a maximum of 15 prints per size (the gallery produces two sizes Large 90cm x 60cm and Giga 150cm x 100cm). The works that are most significant and special to him are restricted to as low as 3 prints. Well recognized photographs such as “Best Friends” and “Hidden Smile” are examples of these very limited editions. Under these circumstances, the most popular and best-selling works are sold-out or nearly out of stock by the time they reach secondary markets. The value of editions increases considerably as prices in secondary markets are established by the original buyers.

Driven to preserve the beauty he found visiting the hill tribes of Vietnam, he created The Giving Back Project which uses profits from sales to return to the villages from his photography and provide support for these rapidly vanishing communities. This passion, seen in both photography and philanthropy, has touched the hearts of hundreds globally, and his following continues to grow as his work brings awareness of these cultures to mainstream media.

Prints are made on high quality metallic paper that must be cold-stored and defrosted 10 hours before the production process can begin. The metallic paper creates sharper, vibrant and exceptionally rich looking prints. Prints are finalized with a laminate film and emulsion technique that creates a 3-dimensional quality and increases durability and color retention. The lifespan of finished prints is hundreds of years.

Because this special printing material (and process) is only available in Europe, all production happens in Germany with comIf Réhahn’s work inspires you, we invite you to visit Couleurs pleted editions being shipped to the customer directly. As Réhahn’s works are all print and copy protected, collectors

by Réhahn or browse our Online Catalog at: are given Certificates of Authenticity which include location www.rehahnphotographer.com information of other editions of the same work.

Come See for Yourself

DID YOU KNOW?

The photograph “PHANTOM” of Peter Lik is the most expensive photograph in the world: 6,5 Millions Dollars

5

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1

FLOATING

Réhahn entitled this picture “Floating”. He has never seen a lagoon water so clear that it creates an optical illusion. This little girl demonstrates this symbiosis with her environment, only 3 years old, she is already getting around on water on her own.

ELVA Elva, 73 years old, used to live near La Bodeguita Del Medio, the institution - as old as her - famous for its traditional cuban mojitos. When I asked her if I could take her photo, she answered boldly: “dame un dinero”, asking for some money. So I o ered her a Cohiba Esplendido cigar instead and we smoked together for more than an hour. I used to visit her on every one of my visits to Cuba.

HIDDEN SMILE Madam Xong is the 74 year old lady featuring on the cover of my first book Vietnam, Mosaic of Contrasts and later in a different project called Hidden smile. When I captured that portrait of her on her boat, none of us could have imagined that this picture would change both our lives. Appearing in over two hundred published articles worldwide, her face is now the most recognized in Vietnam. This iconic photo is now displayed in the Vietnamese Women’s Museum in Hanoi, symbolising both their strength and kindness despite the hard lives of the women of Vietnam.

FROM THE SKY (the first page cover) I used a drone to capture this shot over the green waters of the Thu Bon river in Hoi An. It is Madame Xong’s husband napping on the boat that I gave her through my Giving Back Project.

DID YOU KNOW? 6

Photo of “Madam Xong” (Hidden Smile) chosen by Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam as a gift to the French President Macron.

Couleurs by Réhahn News

ISSUE 1

T

he Giving Back Project, officially launched in 2011, is Réhahn’s personal passion project, his way of turning a vicious cycle into a virtuous one. The initiative embodies the closing of a circle in the relationship between photographer and subject. They give him their beautiful expressions; he captures their portrait. But once the photograph achieves a certain level of recognition, he retraces his steps, finds his subject once more, and tries to make a meaningful contribution to their lives. He sees it as a win-win situation — his models receive the personalized help they need, and he gets to enjoy the feeling of being part of a global family.

THE GIVING BACK PROJECT

From sponsoring eye operations and purchasing cattle to undertaking the construction of a museum dedicated to the Co Tu Vietnamese ethnic group and systematically funding schools across many communities, Réhahn’s contributions are much more than charity — they are lasting acts of gratitude meant to honor the individuals that have left their mark on his work and his life. In this way, he becomes a brother, a son, a grandson — a collector of stories and moments that will eventually bring him back to where he has come from. (* Find more information about Réhahn’s Giving Back project in the article “The photos that change lives” on BBC )

7

Couleurs by Réhahn News

IN YOUR HOME

FREE ENTRANCE

01 Truong Minh Luong Street, Hoi An.

Floor 1, 151 Dong Khoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

+84 (0) 2353 911 382 couleursdasiehoian@gmail.com

couleursdasiehoian@gmail.com

+84 (0) 86 889 4376 saigon@couleurs.gallery

InterContinental, Saigon Gallery, Corner Hai Ba Trung & Le Duan, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. +84 (0) 86521 1202 saigon@couleurs.gallery

OPENING HOURS 8:00AM - 8:00PM 7 days a week

OPENING HOURS 10:00 AM - 8:00PM 7 days a week

OPENING HOURS 8:30 AM-9:30 PM 7 days a week

OPENING HOURS 8:30 AM-9:30 PM 7 days a week

07 Nguyen Hue Street, Hoi An.