“I am neither subject nor object but a subject who feels he is becoming an object: I then experience a micro version of death… Ultimately, what I am seeking in the photograph taken of me… is death.”
– Roland Barthes

I like to bring to the forefront, that which exists in the shadows: focusing on the forgotten or ignored details that surround us in all aspects of our lives. Having experimented with different methodologies and media, my work often has varied finished styles. However, there is an eerie, hollowness present throughout.

Photography, as Barthes (quoted above) suggests, allows us an insight into that which we often find most uncomfortable: Death. When working with such a weighted topic, you obviously have to be aware of the impending clichés, but by keeping my outcomes subtle and the descriptions of my practice vague the viewer remains engaged in the work for a longer period of time – truly questioning, and taking in, the entirety of the piece. This subtlety is evident in my most recent work, The Rehearsal. By moving Barthes suggestion to the forefront of my photographic practice, this ‘rehearsal’ becomes a conscious element in these images – with the sitter listening to the noise of time passing – a three-minute rigid stillness that feels more like a lifetime.

The noise I am referring to above is the main piece of equipment I have been using of late – a flatbed scanner. By constructing pinhole camera obscura’s atop flatbed scanners I have created images, using modern equipment, which capture the essence of early photographic practice. The subject’s intense stillness for the duration of the exposure, coupled with the life sized scaling of the images (when exhibited), creates a haunting aura – an eerie, hollowness – that, as I have mentioned before, is present throughout the majority of my work.

What attracted me to the scanner pinhole camera? In this instance, much like the early photograph, these images are created over an extended period of time. However, unlike the long exposure prominent in early photographic practice The Rehearsal is a compilation of aligned moments, instead of overlaid ones. The subject’s authenticity is compromised through their slight movements, in a manner that is much less obvious than these early photographic images – though the same eerie quality remains.

In short, these images are rehearsals; they are death masks for the living.

See more photographs by Brogan Ramm

I have been continually challenged to rediscover classic traditional architecture of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, allowing lost period to be witnessed by modern eyes. Through my paintings I am trying to bring the old world charm in new era. My recent paintings combine neglected architecture of the past and elements of present time, using different forms of reflection; such as a glass window and in a water puddle, the later which can be seen in ‘Puddle reflecting a glimpse into the architectural past, a past that should persist in the present’, shown above,

I am interested in forgotten and neglected architecture of the past; working on the idea that past architecture should persist in the present. While at the same time there is a sad sense of loss and passing of an era. I am combining elements of past and present. It’s an overlap of historic architecture and current times.

My interest in past architecture has allowed me to keep buildings as my main object. My central object is recognizable, yet has the evanescent quality to it. These old buildings represent precise moments in history. These are not famous historical architectural landmarks, yet these neglected buildings are part of history which interests me. It’s a symbolic and emotional representation of personal search of buildings that are partially masked by today’s world and how they eventually reveal inner realities. I have worked from found photos along with the ones I took myself. Photography is the reference point. Some amount of alteration is done for aesthetic composition. There are no figures in the paintings, allowing the viewer to engage with the work and be part of it.

This Painting is titled ‘Reflection that overlaps current times onto threatened historical architecture.’ The neglected building is from Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India. The building is encased in a glass and reflection on the glass window is of London Street, that is, the current time is reflected on it. The reflection shows that how the current times or today’s world has masked these buildings of the past. It is all about past architecture and present time. This painting is made up of 5-6 photographs. And it took me around 6 weeks to make it. The interesting thing about this painting is that it was this piece that changed my painting style and lead to making of the other three recent paintings of reflection.

See more paintings by Fatima Khan

In my work, forested landscapes are used to explore an altered state of consciousness that exists between the surrounding world, and the inner psyche; between waking and the dream state. In ‘Mind Field’ I have borrowed from Art History using detailed section of Hieronymus Bosch’s painting to create a number of miniature worlds. Their discrete presence often missed at first glance, means that they are never entirely present, nor are they absent. There is a sense of something, that is about to happen but it is never explicit, thus it robs the paintings of narrative resolution, leaving them in a state disequilibrium.

See more paintings by Shawn Mcgovern

My painting values are very old fashioned, but my concepts are timeless. Sex, eroticism, voyeurism; all are natural humanistic properties which I am just starting to tap into. I find the figure increasingly attractive in any way it comes and I like to mix up characters to create erotically teasing scenes. The most important element of each of my paintings is the confrontation of the gaze a character can bring. The look which speaks to you without words and makes you ask questions that even I don’t have the answer’s too. It is the viewers choice and own personal histories that affect their interpretation of  the situation of my paintings and so far, the feedback seems to be that the work is all about adultery, violence and prostitution. However, my paintings are a lot softer and painted in a more tame manor with an innocent intention. How they got to these conclusions must be a reflection on their character or on societies need for confrontation and drama.

See more paintings by China Jordan