Glass tears

 

The experiments of manipulation in photography has grown in tandem with the development of technology. A phenomenon that has deep roots, if we think of Man Ray, Lissitzky and other artists who manipulate reality to create an image functional to an effect rather than to its substance. This search for the surreal, the absurd, and the irrational continues today with new means no less surprising. Often behind a thin veil of irony, however, lies a concern for the empty loneliness of existence. In this way we read the work of Erik Johansson and its symbolic content. The manipulation also becomes a way for the reassertion of the individual and its universal condition. So we can look at “Go your own road” in which the artist takes his road and leads the way forward. All this suggests a reflection on the power of pictures in interpreting the human landscape of which we are part, as evidenced by the same words of the Swedish photographer.

 

«I always wanted to create something different with my photos, and for the past 10 years I have been playing around with photos in the computer. I bought a DSLR-camera a few years ago and thats when I started to do more serious manipulations. It always starts with an idea and then I have to find a place where I can realize it. Inspiration has never really been a problem for me, I guess that is the way I look on the world around me. How can something be different.

I have always been fascinated by impossible shapes and infinity. Some of my favorite artists are: M.C. Escher, Rob Gonsalves and Salvador Dalì. The feeling of emptiness and huge landscapes helps create the feeling that it’s captured in another world. I always try to stay as close to the reality as possible, I want it to look as real as possible but at the same time with a weird twist.-

My photos are just my creative outlet, the photos on my web site are all personal projects and product of ideas that I feel that I have to realize. I don’t really decide what I want to do next, it’s just the product of my imagination. I leave the interpretation of the photos to the viewers, all I do is to put a title on the photo».

 

Photo:

© Courtesy of Erik Johansson

www.alltelleringet.com/

(click on the image at right for more pictures)