Cabinet of Curiosities
In the fall, trees lose their insect-gnawed leaves. Contorted by the summer sun, they inspired this series of photographs of fantastic insects, animals and demons. This collection of curiosities is a journey into the bizarre — in which pareidolia, and its optical illusions, produce phantasmagorical imagery and hidden messages.
Surrealist theory is an underlying theme in my photography. I am attracted to the wonderful and the strange, in nature, man, objects, situations and art. I highlight the extraordinary and the unsettling, as a path to transcending reality. Strangeness, in our environment, as in art, sparks strong feelings of discomfort, anxiety, fascination or wonder. Peculiar details, unusual beauty, surprising relationships between objects and shapes, and quirky situations are fundamental characteristics of my work. These moments and elements awaken our unconscious. I store these treasures in a personal cabinet of curiosities, whose collection helps me understand the world and penetrate the mysteries of the unconscious.
I frequently work in diptych format, and layer imagery to create what the Surrealist, André Breton, called “neglected connections”. These unexpected associations, morph objective reality into subjective reality, challenging the viewer’s imagination and beliefs.
Emmanuelle Becker is an artist-photographer living in Paris. She holds a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in New York. Her photographs have been exhibited in group shows in Europe and the United States. She has been awarded multiple prizes. Most recently, she received an Honourable Mention in the “Street Photography – series” category in the 15th edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, an Honourable Mention in the “Conceptual Photography” category of the 2020 edition of the Minimalist Photography Awards, and an Honourable Mention in “Portraits Without Faces”, presented by the PH21 Contemporary Photography Gallery in Budapest. She looks forward to the opportunity of a solo show in the future.
@objectif_subjectif
www.emmanuellebecker.weebly.com
