Dani Olivier

“A woman’s body is timeless. For ten thousand years, it has had the same curves, the same shape, the same rhythm,” says Dani Olivier. This fascination is clearly felt throughout his Women of Light series. In these works, Olivier dresses his feminine muses in nothing more than light and shadow. The models move in front of a black background while complex, digital patterns of light are projected onto their bodies. In their trancelike movement, the bodies emerge from the darkness to create unique compositions. The Frenchman presses the shutter at exactly the right moment to capture instants of absolute beauty. Once the photograph is taken, Olivier does not alter the original image at all.

The results are reminiscent of Heinrich Heidersberger, the famous German photographer, who created photographs with garments made of light back in the 1940s. Heidersberger’s series, Dress of Light, is still considered a classic in the world of photo art.

With his flickering yet extremely precise patterns of light, Olivier creates sculptural works somewhere between figurative and abstract. In this way, he takes the duet between nuanced light and shadow to new heights.

Dani Olivier was born in Paris in 1969. His work has featured in international exhibitions and art fairs. In 2017, he showed his work in Arles. In the past, he has also exhibited in Kiev, Moscow, and Los Angeles. The artist has put out three photography books. He continues to live and work in Paris.