Arena

Tino Pohlmann Arena is my tribute to the last remaining venue where one can experience one of the world‘s greatest sporting events without paying admission. The mountains of the Tour de France form the stadium where I have spent the past 15 years making this unique and endlessly fascinating fusion of nature and sport visible. At once a celebration of the beauty of the mountains and the event itself, now in its 106th year, Arena brings to the viewer yet unseen perspectives for the further wonder, joy and contemplation of this grand spectacle. Arena is an hommage to the spectators whose presence amid a backdrop of colossal nature verify the true greatness of the Tour. With my work I seek to reveal, through the richness of detail, the thousand miniature stories hidden from the individual viewer. The waiting. The joy. The contrast inherent between the natural landscape and the throngs of spectators crowded by the roadside, whose string of campers vaguely suugest a mass exodus. Arena seeks to celebrate the beauty and grandeur of the Tour de France through its two great contributors: the harsh, rugged mountains of the French Alps and the hundreds of thousands of fans who transform this natural landscape into the world‘s largest, open-air sporting venue. But too, the mountains themselves exert an unending fascination, and despite their scenic beauty, they remain formidable, harsh and unforgiving.