The New York based artist Dirk Westphal has cultivated a unique artistic practice, whimsically described as "fishtography". The photographer captures different species of fish in various expressive poses as they swim through his custom-built tanks. His ingenious use of lighting eliminates the tank's reflection or any evidence of glass so the multi-coloured tropical fish appear to be swimming in pure white space for maximum visual impact. Westphal’s colourful aquatic creatures are face-mounted on aluminum to emphasise his sophisticated aesthetic.
The environment of Westphal’s Chinatown studio has been a constant source of inspiration for the artist: from the orange street barricades to the goldfish for sale in the neighbourhood, which were the genesis for his current practice. The humble beginnings of the series quickly led to Westpahl constructing his unique "posing" tanks and saw him start to collect exotic fish species from all over the world, such as clown fish. Westphal is now expertly adept at both acclimatizing his subjects to their new environment and finding new inventive ways to capture their eternally moving forms.
Westphal has had solo shows in New York, Hong Kong, Aspen, Sydney, Los Angeles, the U.K. and been shown in group shows throughout the U.S. His work is held in several public collections including Rockerfeller University, Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute, National Arts Club, Getty Images and Columbia University. He received his MFA in Photography at the California Institute of the Arts in 1989.
