The career moments of Klaus Mitteldorf presented in modules in the exhibition were described by the own photographer as follows:

 

Norami - 1983 to 1997

Norami, the spirit that exists in all animate and inanimate beings is like a shadow, the figure in the mirror, like a picture.
The simple sentence of the Yanomami Indians language, from the northern Brazil until today was my motto to be able to define what would be an image. Norami was the beginning I used to be able to communicate through photography in the late 70s.
Just missed the photographic language to define the way I see the world at the time and I found the security needed to define it when I decided to be an architect.
I found, in colors, in contrasts and in delusions of fashion, the forms for everything I was looking for. It was my accomplishment!

 

Divas – 1988 to 1992

In life, every action leads to a reaction. I was tired of so much color and wanted to change my concepts.
Why not explore the black and white photography and the sets of a studio?
Inspired by dance moves, mythology and sculptures by Rodin and Camille Claudel, I did of my simple background of truck canvas a incursion of nearly two years by the world of feminine forms and sensuality.
Ana, Zuleica, Ondina and Claudia: these are my Divas!

 

Last Day of Spring – 1985

I always liked to tell stories with my images. With the help of a friend, writer and journalist, Valdir Zwetsch, I managed to make my first photographic storyboard for my book Norami of 1989.
It tells the story of a tribe of Amazons running away from oppressive warriors in a futuristic world.
Pure fantasy in the wonderful setting of Massambaba, in Rio de Janeiro.
With the valuable partnership of Piera, Ana, Diana, Cris, Alessandra and Claudia.

 

Ana and Friends – 1988 to 1992

“Man is a being who imagines. In essence, to imagine is to go beyond itself, project itself, transcend itself continuously. The man imagines because he wishes: the man is able to transform the entire universe in the image of his desire.”
Octavio Paz

Ana was the symbol of my inspiration of the 80s. Actress, dancer, great friend and partner. There was no bad weather for her, nothing was impossible and everything she interpreted was far beyond my imagination. Along with her, some other friends and dance partners, all wonderful figures, helped to build this my imagery world that was born from my dreams and turned into reality.

 

Flowers in Water – 1990 to 2002

Inspired by the pre-Raphaelite paintings of the nineteenth century, I decided to create a new world to represent my flowers. The idea was to escape from the conventional and, therefore, I decided that the flowers would have to be plastic.
In the swimming pool of my mother's house, I set my first aquatic scenario and, since the tiles bothered me, I began to cover the bottom of the pool with colorful plastic.
The result was so amazing that I decided to repeat the experience in other times and in other pools.

 

 Ophelia’s Death – 1990 to 1993

The painting Ophelia (1851), by John Everett Millais, had huge influence on me in the early 90s.
Already inspired by the series of flowers I had done previously, I decided to continue the project of creating new aquatic scenarios, using colored and black plastic.
In the swimming pool of my neighbor Valerie, in Campo Belo, São Paulo, I staged for almost two years, "The Death of Ophelia" in countless photo shoots.
It seemed to be an eternal work, without time and date to finish.

 

The Last Cry – 1991 to 1998

"There are times when creating totally escapes our control."
Klaus Mitteldorf

The ultimate scream is my personal catharsis. My release of the formal values ​​that I myself had created to be able to express myself. Finally, I decided to change. I had to go other ways. New and difficult ways, but necessary for myself self-knowledge.
It took seven years of photographic research trying to find my innermost feelings, involving my feminine side and the experience the aquatic world. I put the woman trying to survive in a strange environment. I’ve created feelings - fear, panic, despair, anguish, anxiety, distress, claustrophobia and relief - and everything had to happen in the water.
I went to extremes never imagined to achieve the result was very satisfying: a great internal relief and the certainty I was on right track.

 

Mirrors – 1987 to 2013

The mirrors represent for me the reflections of my work. It is the practical application of the photographic language that I've created over years of personal research and its predetermined and conscious use in various market medias, such as magazine editorials, advertisements and internet.
It is my applied photography.

 

Femina – 1988 to 2013

Shapes, textures, lines, colors and composition.
I've learned in architecture to represent what I see and what I would like to see. And found, in the female body, more than inspiration. Found soul, movement and expression. An endless journey. But it is worth noting a shape if it does not contain the essential: life!
Femina is my representation of feminine beauty and sensuality, in various times and different media, without limits of time and space.

 

Almaquatica – 1999 to 2013

“(...) inside of us there is an amphibian...”
Sidney Tenucci

The medium that touches me the most is water.
In this differentiated world, I managed to make my work more visceral.
Its fluidity and viscosity create a magical link between human beings. An energy stream that increases our sensitivity and, therefore, creativity. Certainly, we have our amphibian side and know little about it.
Water is passion and nothing compares to it.

 

Introvision – 1992 to 2013

To see is the best movie that exists.
Once again, I wanted to change. This time, in a different way.
Using various devices of photographic deformation, such as lenses, magnifying glasses, spectacles and blurs. I tried to penetrate the innermost part of people: see through them and see as they, thus, identify myself and find myself.
The attraction to the alien world turned me into a voyeur.
Not finding it enough, I started to decompose images of anonymous people and rebuild their essences with layers, creating new characters the way I imagined them.
My trip to Tokyo, in 2008, was the perfect scenario for such experiments.
They are my anonymous identities.