Rainer Hosch captures faces and places with an unflinching authenticity. Installation Magazine has had the distinct privilege of working alongside Hosch since our founding and his vision helped us further define the aesthetic of the Vanguard editorial department.  While Hosch has an extensive series of portraits or as he would call them “mug shots” of icons in popular culture-  faces that have shaped film, music,  television, sports, and innovators in business- he has spent the last two years working on a new series about the Topanga Beach.  The face of Topanga was revealed in the rich photographs that document shifting tidal patterns, endless footprints in seawater water and a cast of characters who emerged in the summer months.  The solo exhibition “Topanga Beach” opened at Gallery Poulsen in Copenhagen on 12 January and is on view through 16 February 2019.

 

“The intersection of the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon always felt like the final frontier in my mind, where America ends and a new horizon begins. My journey from Vienna to New York City and finally to Los Angeles led me incrementally closer to the beach. I have spent the last two years working on a personal project that is a departure from my traditional portraiture. This Large Format series of images focuses on the landscape. On the horizon and the beach – that is the sand, ocean, and sky– as the subject for a new body of work. This Large Format series focuses on the landscape and horizon; that is the sand, ocean, and sky as the subject for a new body of work.” – Rainer Hosch

 

 

Exterior of Gallery Poulsen in Copenhagen.  Photo by Rainer Hosch.
Exterior of Gallery Poulsen in Copenhagen. Photo by Rainer Hosch.

 

Rainer Hosch, "Topanga Beach #1," 2018, Archival Pigment Print,
Rainer Hosch, “Topanga Beach #1,” 2018, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 59 in. x 74 in.

 

Rainer Hosch, "Fire" 2017, Archival Pigment Print,  hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 59 in. x 74 in.
Rainer Hosch, “Fire” 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 59 in. x 74 in.

 

Installation view of "Topanga Beach."  Photo by Rainer Hosch,
Installation view of “Topanga Beach.” Photo by Rainer Hosch,

 

Rainer Hosch, Mirror, 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 59 in. x 74 in.
Rainer Hosch, “Mirror,” 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 59 in. x 74 in.

 

Rainer Hosch, Crash #2, 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 17 in. x 22 in.
Rainer Hosch, “Crash #2,” 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 17 in. x 22 in.

 

Installation view of "Topanga Beach."  Photo by Rainer Hosch.
Installation view of “Topanga Beach.” Photo by Rainer Hosch.

 

Rainer Hosch, "Summer #2," 2017, rchival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 17 in. x 22 in.
Rainer Hosch, “Summer #2,” 2017, Archival Pigment Print, Hahnemuhle photo rag baryta, edition of 7 + 2 AP, 17 in. x 22 in.

 

Rainer Hosch by Andrew Leggett
Rainer Hosch by Andrew Legget

 

 

Explore all 13 images from “Topanga Beach”

All images © Rainer Hosch, 2019