With a nod to Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s paintings and the Italian Memphis Group, photographer Torkil Gudnason has created a series of “portraits”, building on geometric tension and harmonious contrasts to produce clear, yet odd arrangements; each face a meditation on how photography renders and animates visual form.
"With photography you don’t have to make things up. It’s all there in front of you. This body of work was built from pieces lying directly at my feet. Like the molding factory next to my studio, who offered to let me take what I wanted of their scraps: soon enough, these small wooden pieces ended up as cornerstones in my compositions. Allowing myself to be dictated by the cut and shape of each piece, they gave me endless compositional options, which I built up with everyday items found in my studio. "
Torkil Gudnason was born in Denmark and is based in New York. Gudnason came to the United States in 1978 and immediately began ssisting photographers in the world of fashion. While working in the commercial world of photography, Gudnason began to apply the same techniques and production value to his fine art work. Gudnason’s most recent works explore the contemporary natural world through the use of color and abstraction of the nude human form. In contrast to the long dark winters that Gudnason experienced as a child in Denmark, it is only natural that he is attracted to the vibrant and eclectic contrasts that he depicts in his photographs.