Sandy Skoglund, A Breeze at Work

1987, photograph (cibachrome), 101.6 x 152.4cm

Born in 1961. Smith College and Iowa University. Professor at Rutgers University from 1976.

Photography has been primarily a recording medium since its invention. From the ' 70s, however, some artists began to feel distaste for simply capturing reality through the camera lens. They were more interested in trying to capture the intrinsic nature of people. Those who rebelled against the traditional function experimented with photography in diverse ways. They shifted from taking photos to making photos. This unexpected new approach played the role of merging painting and photography.

Against a background of vivid colors, Sandy Skoglund installs objets such as clothes hangers, fish, chewing gum, leaves, or dogs, and takes a photograph. He is one of those artists who are broadening the range of photo making. The background of A Breeze at Work is an everyday city scene. But strange objets in the monotone background somehow produces unforgettable visual images which are not possible in reality. He puts reality and non-reality together, with the intention of revealing the other, hidden sides of the obsessive society we live in today.

The artist unleashes his imagination in an artificially created world where viewers can find a slice of photographic art which has escaped from its original role.