Ned Irving, son of Clifford Irving and Edith Sommer, makes his artistic debut in Ibiza

Ned Irving, the eldest son of Clifford Irving—author of Fake!, the biography of famous art forger Elmyr de Hory—and artist Edith Sommer, will debut as an artist in Ibiza with the photography exhibition Under The Surface, opening on 21 April at Olas Gallery in Santa Eulària des Riu.

Born John Edmond Irving (Barcelona, 1968) and known as Nedsky, he began exploring photography at the age of just 16. His first camera was a gift from his father. “I took it everywhere and photographed anything that inspired me”, he recalls, just days before presenting his first exhibition on the island he called home from infancy until the age of 15.

From hobby to artistic debut

“Photography started as a hobby until, about 20 years ago, I began to take it more seriously, although I had never considered showing my work publicly until now”, explains Irving, who holds a degree in Music from the California Institute of the Arts and has spent decades working as an English-language voice-over artist for major international companies such as Mercedes, Siemens and Lufthansa.

The push to exhibit his work came from Berlin-based art curator Christian Kneisel, who was familiar with his parents. “We met in Sant Carles in January 2025. I showed him my work and he told me that in nearly 40 years in the profession he had never seen anything like it. He found it different and incredibly interesting”, says Irving, who now divides his time between Berlin and Ibiza.

He also admits that another motivation for sharing his photography is to “find a plan B” for the future, as he has noticed a decline in voice-over opportunities over the past year and a half due to the rise of artificial intelligence.

After reflecting on Kneisel’s suggestion, Irving began visiting galleries across the island and eventually met Sofía Gómez Fonzo, owner of Olas Gallery, who offered him the opportunity to exhibit as soon as she saw his portfolio.

The sea of Ibiza as inspiration

The result is Under The Surface, an exhibition featuring six photographs in which the waters of Ibiza’s coastline take centre stage.

“All the works I will exhibit were created on the island last year—on Santa Eulària beach, in Cala Mestella and in ses Salines”, explains the self-taught photographer. His work reveals a fascination with the effects of light and wind on the constantly shifting surface and depths of the sea, capturing fleeting images that exist somewhere between reality and abstraction. “You can only see this if you freeze time with a camera”, he notes.

Some of the images required hours of waiting to capture the perfect moment. According to curator Sofía Gómez Fonzo, “through his process, multiple exposures and overlapping perspectives merge into fluid compositions that evoke painting more than traditional photography”.

Irving has been exploring the artistic possibilities of water since 2007, first in German lakes—where he also captured human reflections—and later in Ibiza, a place he considers home. His influences include Impressionist painting and, more recently, the work of Gerhard Richter.

Under The Surface will be on display at Olas Gallery until 23 May, from Tuesday to Saturday, between 11 am and 2 pm, and from 5 pm to 8 pm.

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