Modifications

In the Modifications series, I begin by collecting photographs of places that, for me, are unfamiliar and in some current state of conflict. The found photographs are then subjected to a process of selection and bleaching. A new, fictional and more abstract understanding is sought in these snapshots, travel photographs and casual documentations.

The photograph is physically and contextually altered to produce a reading that oscillates between image and object, photography and painting, real and imagined. This new interpretation attempts to disrupt how we normally perceive, understand and connect with the fragmented world in which these photographs attempt to represent.

Technical Information

The original photographs are found from sources ranging from friends, flickr or estate sales or ebay, and were made in places including Israel/Palestine, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Kenya, Algeria, etc. The pieces are made by painting areas of an enlarged c-print with clear varnish, which acts as a resist, and then selectively erasing the photograph using household Clorox bleach. They are then drawn on with pencil, crumpled and carved into.

Pieces are usually made in editions/versions of around 4-6 depending on size. Each version is made unique but maintains the general intended visual reading.

Click HERE for a detail image of one of the pieces.

For purchase or editorial enquirires: curtis@curtismann.com