Wim Wenders (born 1945) is considered a pioneer of 1970s New German Cinema and one of the most important representatives of contemporary cinema. In addition to multi-award-winning feature films, such as Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987), he has also created several innovative documentaries such as PINA, Buena Vista Social Club, The Salt of the Earth and Pope Francis - A Man of his Word.
Wenders is a director, producer, photographer and author; his photographic work has been exhibited in museums around the world, and his output includes numerous photo books, film books and collections of essays.
Between 2019 and 2020, together with his production company Road Movies, Wim Wenders also produced two art installations: EMOTION, a monumental seven-stream projection based on Wenders' most iconic films, created with and for the Grand Palais in Paris; and Two Or Three Things I Know About Edward Hopper, a 3D film installation created for the Edward Hopper exhibition at the Foundation Beyeler in 2020, which was entirely shot in Butte, Montana.
Shortly after, between 2020 and 2021 he produced the video artwork "présence", a 3D film which investigates the genesis of the art creation in the work of the contemporary French artist Claudine Drai. When Wim Wenders first encountered her world, he felt a strong fascination for the fragility of Claudine Drai's work, entirely made out of white paper, and the unique spiritual realm the filmmaker sensed, deeply moved him. He felt that her art was unique and distinctly different from anything he had ever seen, at the same time highly emotional and evocative. He wanted to find out more about this mysterious spiritual realm made mostly of white paper. In turn, Drai trusted him with her fragile and poetic world. In their subsequent conversations and meetings they decided to venture together into an unknown territory, going beyond a simple vision, giving life to a common creation, different from any cinematographic category and free from existing rules or forms of art.
While seeing "présence", the audience is absorbed watching the artist working in her studio, crinkling paper with her own hands, sometimes with her eyes closed, as if her hands know instinctively what her mind suggests.
The video artwork had its premiere screening in 2022 in Venice thanks to Palazzo Grassi/Pinault Collection in collaboration with ACP - Art Capital Partners Palazzo Franchetti. In October 2023 présence will be exhibited at Centre Pompidou in Paris.
The 3D video artwork by Wim Wenders is available in limited edition for museums and collectors and will be displayed by Maggiore g.a.m. in a selection of international art fairs.
In 2022, Wim Wenders was awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association in the category theatre/film for his achievements in the field.