Process and Research – Curating Self
Object and Representation of Self
I chose a hat which symbolises my grandfather’s presence as he always wore a hat which was of a similar shape to mine. I had a close relationship with him and his recent passing has emphasised the gravity of death and losing a loved one.
For this series of images, I was inspired by Magritte’s painting. I have always loved Magritte’s surrealism. The setting is often ambiguous which makes it seem other-worldly. I wanted that ambiguity in my images as they are about death, and no human being knows what death looks like until the day they die. In a sense, having a setting that is surreal and does not coincide with reality could bring out the effect of depicting the afterlife. I also like the way Magritte paints an object to cover the face of the person in the painting. With an undisclosed face, the viewer is given the freedom to imagine the facial expression and emotional state of the subject matter.
I cropped off the windows of the apartment at the back to remove anything that is recognisable in our world and create an ambiguous background.
For this image, I tried shooting from a top down perspective which was not as effective in being confrontational as I intended the photo to be.
I experimented with different placement of the object but felt that the first image best conveys the feeling of being left behind due to its flatness which amplifies the absence of a being.
My world
I went to beauty world for this series as I liked the old buildings which have character and an evident sense of people living in them with their exposed laundry and potted plants.
Nobuyoshi Araki’s photography works inspired me to capture images that are unglamorous, and revealing. His subject matter often consists of nude women, and I admire how Araki breaks the taboo with his photos.
After shooting from different distances and viewpoints, i felt having that having depth in the photos creates a distant effect, which contradicts my intention of exposing and revealing of one’s true self. That is why my final images consist mostly of flat close up images.