Portrait Series

description

Portrait Series consists of five 3'X3' lightjet prints that are reminiscent of television "talking head" interviews where back lighting is used to obscure the identity of the subject giving testimony: a representational convention that does not discriminate between the criminal, the victim or the witness. What distinguishes the images from this cultural reference is their fine detail, that contrasts sharply with the aesthetic of documentary TV, and their perfectly square dimensions that allow more of the torso and body to be visible. 

 The method of back lighting and the effacement of  the image of the face lends the prints a sculptural quality, a tactile 3-dimensionality that could arguably be more akin to the visceral experience of a real body. Only the thin outline of the outer edge of the face and shoulder  is illuminated and packed with details - skin pores, wrinkles, hair, fabric, pearls. Is this the threshold of identity?

 The combination of high "realistic" detail, bust-like dimensions, and a sculptural quality also link these portraits to Roman busts from the republican period.

 Removing the image of the face allows for the projection of various desires, imaginings and identifications on part of the viewer. It also summons up disturbing ideas of being watched by an invisible set of eyes.