Olaf Mueller Photography

A PROJECT WHICH HAS BEEN IN THE MAKING FOR 8 MONTHS:
Celebrities who have taken part in this campaign include, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Sharon Stone, Macy Gray, Ethan Yuen, Leo Ku, Shawn Yue, Bosco Wong, Hins Cheung, Michael Wong, Anthony Wong, Alan Tam, Chilam Cheung, Richie Ren, Nick Cheung, Ekin Cheng, Andy Hui, Joey Yung, Vincy Chan, Kay Tse, Vivian Chow, Gigi Leung, Fiona Sit, QiQi, and Lynn Xiong.

We all have an instinctive desire to help others, to ease suffering and to do good-however we define it.  Those involved with Aids Concern have that desire, as do the stars I shot in this project.

I too wanted to help in the best way I know how, by harnessing the power of fame and beauty through my lens. Yet, I must confess, that without the magnificent platform that the team at Prestige Hong Kong has extended to me, this entire project would be inconceivable. Moreover, Paris Libby’s artistic influence and overall partnership has candidly led to the success of this project.

The rise of the Celebrity in the early 1960’s was a phenomenon that continues to leave me in awe. Celebrities have the power to bring awareness to anything they chose to attach their name to. There is no question that stars are a magnet for publicity, bring ease to the fund raising process and offer instant credibility to an organization.

I chose to focus on the Celebrity because they represent the best in us. The stars I have captured evoke an unconditional sense of hope, leaving us inspired to live each day to the fullest, and remind us to sustain an unconditional positive approach to day-to-day living.

Capturing Hong Kong’s biggest stars in a way that is true to their public persona, all the while exposing a glimmer of reality underneath a sliver of unplanned vulnerability has been an enlightening undertaking. I was often reminded that despite the fame and stardom, the subjects behind my lens are people just like you or I. There is a common characteristic that unites all of these subjects and that’s charisma.  They are all full of that intangible essence that attracts us to them.

In my photography, I lend myself to a surrealist perspective. I find beauty in the sharpness of an image or the vibrancy of saturated color. I uncover magnificence in the details – the grains of fiber in a fabric, or the story that crisp lines on a face impart on us. For each of the images I have captured in this project, each picture has a heightened sense of reality and that elevated persona is grounded by the robust character and strength of each Celebrity. It was my goal to capture these icons in an unparalleled way, giving each on-looker an introspective look into who these icons are when the camera stops rolling.

I have been humbled by this entire experience, and what has brought me the most joy is the trust and confidence that each celebrity had in both Aids Concern and my capacity to capture their spirit. Each person gave me 100% of themselves making each image an honest depiction of whom they are.

Whether we were setting a car on fire just meters behind Simon Yam, convincing Daniel Wu to do a mud filled hike for ninety minutes to get to the set of his shoot or having Sharon Stone posing courageously in front of two African elephants I say with assurance that what you see here, is what you get. My team and I have nursed this project from start to finish in hopes that people like you and I will learn from the icons you see in this project. And the lesson that each Star has taught us is that at the end of the day, what matters the most is that “WE UNITE” for the sake of this cause.

My goal has been to raise awareness, raise money and raise hope that the future will see a cure developed for this tragic condition – a condition that affects the whole world.

THE MAKING OF “WE UNITE”

Here the final images from the exhibition night, 4 December 2009: