Patrick Amory unveils exhibition Totem experience in the Alchemya Room

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  Patrick Amory with one of his creations, the world’s largest instant-print wooden camera. Ravindranath K / The National

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  Black Madonna and Child by French visual artist Patrick Amory. Courtesy Patrick Amory

Falcons are on French visual artist Patrick Amory’s mind as he shows me around his studio – the Alchemya Room – at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi.

Housed there is his art exhibition, Totem Experience, which was unveiled last week by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairwoman of the Media Zone Authority and twofour54, and attended by Sheikh Mubarak bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.

The centrepiece is the stunning Falcon Totem, three double-sided photographs, each mounted on an imposing white Carrara-marble slab – a homage to the symbolic bird of the UAE. The installation is 4.3 metre x 3 metre and weighs 2,700 kilograms. The surface is carved to resemble the falcon's feathers, making it appear to be light, despite its considerable weight.

Amory has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2011 when, under the aegis of the French Embassy, he was invited by the UAE’s cultural authorities. He is reluctant to step into the limelight, and shuns social media. He reiterates that this special event is not a public exhibition, although art aficionados can request a private viewing.

“ I’m totally off the radar because I do what I wish with people I wish to do it,” he says. “I don’t try to communicate too much about what I’m doing.”

Symbol of the UAE

"The idea for [the Falcon Totem] came when we first discovered the UAE in 2010, and Patrick wanted to pay homage to this country," says Fleur Amory, Amory's wife and curator.

“He saw the link with the animals here was essential – without camels, horses and the falcon, people wouldn’t have survived.”

Amory spent a week at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, photographing the majestic bird – its wings spread and head lowered. The artist says the pose can be interpreted as humility, protectiveness or aggression.

“A totemic emblem is always something to do with the power of the sacred culture,” says Fleur.

“This is the fastest bird on earth and his vision is the most powerful. He is a sentient being. In the photographs, the bird could be seen as protecting you, but he can also fight with you.

“People choose an emblem because you want all the attributes of this animal to be yours,” says Fleur. “It’s not so simple as ‘this is power’ – it’s about roots, freedom and survival.”

Captured on camera

Also on show is the world’s largest instant-print wooden camera, which Amory made from a 150-year-old olive tree. The giant device produces unique 90x60 centimetre prints that are developed and printed in less than two minutes.

For Amory, the camera represents a totem in the power it can be used to wield. He became familiar with the use of totems by indigenous tribespeople in his former career as an anthropologist, and his art combines his fascination with people with a desire to capture their inner beauty.

On the walls hang giant sepia portraits of Maasai warriors and footballers. A striking image depicts Rio Ferdinand with hands clasped together, as if praying. Another shows the player’s former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson – known for his angry dressing-room tirades – kissing a white dove.

“Each image has a story because of course I spent hours to prepare one image – to choose a person and to build a relationship with them,” says Amory. “When you are in front of this camera, you have to believe in something – in yourself, me or the relationship.”

One of Amory's favourite photographs is his Black Madonna and Child – a smiling Kenyan tribal mother carrying her happy toddler. "I showed this to the president of Kenya at the time, president Kibaki, and he said, 'This is the image of Africa'," says Amory.

"Some people at Vogue magazine asked me, 'Do you have a stylist to do her style?' I said, 'No, she is like this every day. She's in the dust but is so elegant. The mother is happy and the baby so open, there is no fear'."

• The Totem Experience, in partnership with twofour54, Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, M&C Saatchi Middle East and Shangri-La Hotel Abu Dhabi, is on display until May 21. Visits by appointment only. Email [e-mail] for more details