It’s January, so once again we visited Laax for The Open. The was amazing, but we also love all of the side events. One of the highlights was the opening of Gian Paul Lozza’s new photo expo, AIR. We caught up with him to find out more…
How did this project come to life?
Laax asked me if I want to do this exhibition. The idea is to show everything I’ve shoot in Laax from the beginning to now. It was really hard to do a final selection but I’m really happy with the result. It will be on display in the Rider’s Hotel art space until the end of February.
Where did the idea for AIR come from?
We searched for a title for the exhibition and AIR was the best one. I love this word because in the beginning every trick was named as an Air… But I also love the word because it gives me a feeling of what snowboarding is for me until today.
Can you tell us the story behind the photo that you’re showing that was the biggest challenge to pull off?
The pyramid project was one of the biggest that I’ve done. It was a huge light set up and it was really difficult to ride. Markus (Keller) needed some time to get the feel for it. But the biggest problem we had was the temperature. It was -25 degrees the whole night. So it was also one of the hardest I’ve ever done. But the output was amazing. We got six covers worldwide and a lot of coverage.
What was the inspiration behind that shot?
The idea for the pyramid came from the back of the one dollar bill. This image can symbolize a lot of things…
Who are some of your favorite riders that you’ve worked with over the years?
I was lucky that I could work with some of the best riders of the world. If you need names, Gian Simmen, Markus Keller, Nicolas Müller or Martin Rutz.
Did anyone ever get badly injured at one of your shoots?
I was lucky, so not really. Fingers crossed that it will never happen….
Are you still shooting some snowboarding these days?
Of course… but not like I used to. But sometimes I still do.
What do you think of the current state of snowboard photography?
There are many great young photographers out there, who are doing amazing work. The business is really different from my time, and it is way more difficult to make a living with snowboard photography now. So respect to everybody.
Thanks for your time Lozza! We’re excited to check it out.
