Photographer Ben Zank crafts surreal portraits that are strange and at times, humorous. The subjects captured by New York City-based artist are often shown without faces, their visages disappearing into foliage or smoke, or otherwise, buried into the Earth. Instead of depending on the human face, Zank says that “the image itself is the emotion.”
Recent photography and costuming work by the duo Kahn & Selesnick chronicles the travels of Truppe Fledermaus, a cabaret troupe of “would-be mystics who catalogue their absurdist attempts to augur a future that seems increasingly in peril due to environmental pressures.” The “Book of Fate” works showcase the pair’s talents in both installation work and crafting narratives.
In Klaus Pichler‘s intimate and occasionally humorous series “Just the two of us,” the photographer costume enthusiasts in their homes. And whether spending time as creatures alongside their own domestic creatures or having a morning coffee, each of the subjects create a surreal scene in their everyday environments.
Oleg Dou’s photo manipulations subvert the elegance of classical still-life or mutate the subjects of his quiet portraits. The award-winning artist, hailing from Russia, has shown these creations in shows across the globe. Recent work takes the everyday table settings of the Renaissance and stirs sexualized conversations.
Recycling packaging materials and other discardables, photographer Suzanne Jongmans crafts Renaissance-style portraits that examine contemporary consumption. The artist finds value in these otherwise overlooked materials; elsewhere, she piles clothes and finds beauty in unfinished garments.
In constructing her photographs, Jennifer Thoreson creates abstract objects and a curated space for her models to dwell. The result are works that are at once intimate and surreal, her crafted amorphous accessories extensions of the figures’ humanity. In the series “Testament,” the artist subverts everyday scenes with something darker and revealing.