These are fragments of stories, pieces of silhouettes, strips of horizons, a floral potpourri of fantasy and reality. Simple at first glance, the work of American photographer Brea Souders, 34, is complex, and not just formally. In a way, they can be seen as the representation of our memory, its sensory flashes, its images that come out of nowhere, its absences. In her most famous work, Film Electric, the New York artist used sheets of white paper electrically charged by the acetic acid applied to them, then carefully laid out clippings of negatives showing slices of forgotten adventures, portraits of loved ones and strangers, untold experiments and family vacations, as well as shards of unrecognizable shapes and empty spaces. When the static electricity is high, these slices of life attach to the fiber. If it’s weak, they fall into oblivion. These creations are then photographed with a flash, causing glare and white streaks. Light conceals certain images while illuminating others.
It’s the same association between photography and material in Counterforms, an enigmatic series in which the artist invites the viewer to follow her on a journey through her ancestral roots in France and Italy. Here the odyssey is dreamlike but wants to remind generations of expatriate Americans of the need to cultivate their roots. Nothing seems forced in these images. She speaks a poignant, beautiful and sophisticated language through deeply personal and original images. It seems as that Souders has created her own world through photography, which is a sign of a great photographer. These engaging works can be interpreted in different ways. One must be sensitive to her use of color, something disturbing and undefined, which triggers a certain melancholy. Through emotions, Souders also creates the impression of identifying a pleasant sound, a familiar smell, a vision of the past, although not necessarily ones rooted in our own catalogue of memories.
EXHIBITION
Brea Souders
through August 1st, 2014
Bruce Silverstein
535 W 24th St #1,
New York, NY 10011
USA
(212) 627-3930
