Humor Is The Base Of My Work

Featuring Daniel Gebhart De Koekkoek Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Alf, Mickey, and the other dogs, 2023 — is a new creation curated by Daniel Gebhart De Koekkoek — a calendar that is bound to elevate your spirit, bringing positive energies to your house. The calendar is a collection of images of dogs with a subtle, creative, and humorous allusion to known characters. Daniel has a distinctive and recognizable photographic style manifested in commercial and editorial projects, like the recent campaign for Trustpilot or the shot for Office Magazine. Daniel explains the importance of humor in his work, “To me, good art has to provoke a reaction from its viewer, and I think a smile or laugh is the most beautiful reaction — especially in these times.”

Daniel Gebhart De Koekkoek is an Austrian photographer and director currently based between Berlin and Vienna. He worked with clients like Apple, Adidas, Audi, Helmut Lang, and many others. Daniel launched Connected archives, a collective of photographers which offers image licensing for commercial use. He also opened a wine bar, Bar Normal, located in Oderberger and Kastanienallee in Berlin. In this interview, we speak with Daniel about the launch of his career, his practice in New York, and return to Europe. Daniel explains how the process of creating calendars started and presents his new calendar Alf, Mickey, and the other dogs, 2023. We discuss the importance of humor and irony — prevalent themes in his work. We close our conversation by speaking about his plans for 2023, among which is a solo show in Paris.

‘Back in those days, coming from a small town in Austria, New York City, drove me absolutely crazy. I couldn't keep up with its pace and intensity. I escaped to the outskirts whenever I had the chance to recover.’

My Story

You were born in Tyrol, Austria, later moving as an intern to New York and then experiencing life in Vienna and Berlin. What is the main difference between the art/photography scene in those cities and countries? What was your revelation about your work as an outcome of relocating and immersing in various cultures?

Back in those days, coming from a small town in Austria, New York City, drove me absolutely crazy. I couldn't keep up with its pace and intensity. I escaped to the outskirts whenever I had the chance to recover. There were no weekends, and it felt like an endless working day. Back in Vienna, I was inspired by the calm and easygoing spirit. That helped me a lot when working on my art projects. Vienna also has a very strong art photography community. It was very fruitful and always pushed me in a friendly competition. Later on, I moved to Berlin to work with bigger, international agencies, launched my image licensing agency, Connected Archives, and opened a wine bar, Bar Normal. Also, my first daughter Rosa was born 1.5 years ago. Maybe now I could chill in NYC, compared to my current workload in Berlin. However, since living on the internet, I think it doesn't matter much where you are based nowadays.

‘I was asked by a very nice art publishing house to do a calendar for them. I was a bit confused by this request back then. So I decided to propose to them to make a cat calendar.’

Alf, Mickey and the other dogs, 2023

Congrats on releasing a new calendar this year, Alf, Mickey and the other dogs. You released several calendars involving animals such as alpacas, guinea pigs, jumping cats and dogs. Where did the idea to work on annual calendars come from? What is the process of working on a calendar, as the format is quite different from any other project?

I was asked by a very nice art publishing house to do a calendar for them. I was a bit confused by this request back then. So I decided to propose to them to make a cat calendar. They have been curious to hear more, so I came up with the Jumping Cats calendar. The calendar sold very well, and I was overwhelmed by the feedback. So I decided to keep going and make a new calendar whenever I come up with an idea that I would like to shoot. I really like the fact that I have a whole year to think about the next project and dump so many ideas over the year. The productions are always a lot of fun and keep me busy during the winter months.

‘To me, good art has to provoke a reaction from its viewer, and I think a smile or laugh is the most beautiful reaction — especially in these times.’

Humor

You developed a style that shines through every work you present, in which humor and irony are usually the forte of the project. Some of the best examples — apart from the annual calendars — are The Art of Chindogu, an exploration of handy tools and objects, a collaboration with HORNBACH, an old-school wedding reminiscent of the 80s, and the latest project with Trustpilot with witty images of all things that might go wrong professionally. How does humor find a place in your work? What is your main concern when developing a new project? 

I think humor is the base of my work. Everything else is secondary. I remember how much I enjoyed being the class clown in school for years until I discovered how much I had to pay for it and how much trouble it caused my parents. So I suddenly gave it up. I totally forgot about it until I started photography and went back to my roots. With photography, I can rave without detention or getting in big trouble. To me, good art has to provoke a reaction from its viewer, and I think a smile or laugh is the most beautiful reaction — especially in these times.

Commission Projects

When working on commission projects for brands like Helmut Lang and Adidas, you manage to bring your unique perspective into the project. Did you experience pushback from brands when ‘changing’ their usual voice and incorporating your vision? Or, if I put it differently, how do you succeed in preserving your angle and vision in commercial work? 

Luckily this comes very naturally. Some creative directors drop my name in a meeting when it comes to a fun campaign, and I'm always happy to extend and execute it in my very own way. If something really doesn't fit at all, I'm honest and propose another photographer that will fit their brief better. But most of the time, I will find a way to make it work my way. 

A Sneak Peek

Could you provide us a sneak peek into the project you’re currently working on or some of the themes in development?

Currently, I'm preparing for a one-month break in Thailand in December. I really need to reset and get ready for 2023. If someone lives in Thailand or has ideas for special projects, please drop me a message. For the end of November, I'm building up a solo show in Paris. I will announce more details on my Instagram stories soon. In 2023, I have big plans to push Connected Archives forward. I'm looking for well-connected photo agents to join CA in the US and Asia— hit me up if that's you!