For art

Dream fulfilled: Sasa Schwarzjirg becomes Mickey Mouse

Pop art and concept artist Franz-Josef Baur transformed Sasa Schwarzjirg into one of her favorite characters.

(Bild: Mario Schmolka)

She is a huge Disney fan - he puts abstract cartoon characters at the center of his work. Presenter and krone.tv lady Sasa Schwarzjirg and concept artist Franz-Josef Baur quickly found each other. He turned her into a work of art for a new project...

Anyone who knows her knows that Sasa Schwarzjirg is a huge Disney fan. Although in her case, the word "fan" is a misnomer. Like many of us, the presenter and krone.tv lady was gripped by the magic of animation as a child - and has not let go to this day. A fact that the German pop art and concept artist Franz-Josef Baur was also aware of before he met Schwarzjirg in person. This finally happened at an event and the basis for the conversation was quickly found: Their love of Mickey, Minnie and Co.

Mario Schmolka at work, which artist Franz-Josef Baur observes with a keen eye.

(Bild: Kalman Gergely)

They are a recurring theme in the works of the Viennese by choice. His series "Perception Fading Youth" places the cartoon characters - in abstract form - at the center of his artworks. They are memories of childhood, if you like, that fade over time. To prevent this from happening to Schwarzjirg, Franz-Josef Baur had an idea and turned the fan himself into a work of art in no time at all - photo shoot included. "I've been working on the subject of 'people and art' for years and love combining the two and blurring boundaries," explains Baur. Thanks to Mario Schmolka - the Viennese photographer has already worked for "Vogue", "Vanity Fair", Versace, Prada and Cartier, to name but a few - the task was successful in the end.

The result is impressive: Sasa Schwarzjirg as an abstract Mickey Mouse.

(Bild: Mario Schmolka)

"I was honestly a bit awestruck when I found out who was going to take the pictures," admits Schwarzjirg about Schmolka's impressive CV. "What's more, I wasn't wearing glamorous make-up, as is usually the case with photo shoots, and my hair wasn't done either. They brought out a completely different side of me. Franz Josef pushed a glass or two of sparkling wine over to me - that helped with the nervousness a little."

All happy faces when viewing the pictures in the backstage area.

(Bild: Kalman Gergely)

Then there's the topic of "fading youth", which is something that those in the limelight don't have a good relationship with. Not so with Schwarzjirg: "I don't mourn my youth because I was so insecure. My self-confidence came with age. But I do grumble sometimes when my back hurts," laughs the presenter.