Alexandre Haefeli (@alexandre_haefeli) is a Swiss photographer who has found ways to express beauty through subtle intimacy. He equilibrates nature and human bodies, transforming his photographs in odes to the little details of fantasy and pleasure.
His aesthetic reminds us of brought-to-life paintings that indulge the viewers’ senses and invite them to explore the depths of their minds. To figure out what the images evoke in them and how the emerged ideas make them feel.
In this exclusive interview for Vanity Teen, Alexandre Haefeli talks about his aesthetic and how it looks like photography found him when his creativity was thriving. You will be pleased to find out how his respect for photography is reflected in deep feelings that he cannot control.
You will also learn more about: his inspirations, precedents of male erotica, his thoughts about how mainstream social media somehow discriminates against sensuality, and his message for the youth.
Are you ready to freely enjoy art through the lenses of Alexandre Haefeli?
Intuitive, sensual, and evolving
VT:How would you describe your work and aesthetic?
AH: Intuitive, sensual, evolving.
VT: We know you went to ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne. But, could you please tell us more about your passion for photography and how you decided that this was what you wanted to do for life?
AH: I am often very curious when other photographers are asked this question because I, personally, don’t recall a defining moment or have particular storytelling about choosing photography. I, actually, feel like I never fantasized about being a photographer.
Creativity has always been very important to me, and photography just happened to be the right tool at the right time. I liked how experimental and spontaneous it could be, how quick it would give results.
In life, part of me has always been very drawn to what gives me fears and, for so many reasons, photography is no exception: I would be in panic before each shoot and kept choosing the subjects that would make me scared and passionate the most, eventually embracing the theme of male erotica.
This medium revealed itself to be such a great way to break my boundaries, meet people, and experience unique situations, and I feel grateful for it.
An introspective gaze
VT: Besides great names in photography, which other artists, books, or films have been personal inspirations for your work?
AH: Jean Cocteau’s drawings. Jean Genet’s movies Un Chant d’Amour and Querelle. The books L’Erotisme by Georges Bataille, and Ways of Seeing by John Berger. Paintings are my biggest visual inspirations, in…
You can read the full interview by purchasing a copy of our Fall-Winter edition HERE
