Friday, August 14, 2009

ARTmostfierce's Photolucida Critical Mass 2009 picks

Photos by Michael Mulno entries for Photolucida's Critical Mass 2009




Artist Statement

With this project I am interested in photographing young people within the landscape of the suburban neighborhood; streets and sidewalks, yards, parks, vacant lots and alleyways provide a ground to discern and describe this subject. My way of working involves roaming a particular landscape, looking and waiting to discover a specific person who makes me curious and who is exhibiting traits that I think will define a photograph. This method of working requires approaching strangers and then engaging them in the act of having their photograph made. From this interaction, a portrait based on the description of one’s outer surface, in which body language, attire, and expression lead to a study on inner emotion is formed. In the resulting photographs the youth are pictured mostly alone, and in mid-journey, they occupy a liminal space between connection and displacement, signaling the formation of an uncertain, yet nascent identity. They (the photographs), reveal a growing discovery of one's subjective truth, of being in the world and confronting the nature and complexity of the human condition, specifically that of young people. I utilize an 8 x 10 inch view camera for its ability to render a certain type of visual depth and a great amount of detail. The prints are made by contact to promote this similitude and to convey a sense of intimacy.

This photo series reminded me of the work of Richard Renaldi. Very nice youth portraits in their own environment. A YES!!!

Michael Mulno
Tempe, AZ
United States
mmulno@hotmail.com

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