| BEN GEST
April 2–July 27, 2007
Gallery Reception:
Thursday, April 12, 2007 from 5-8pm
Ben Gest’s figures are dressed in their finest and clearly are about to head to important social events. They are getting themselves ready—prepared to be at their best, somewhere among others. Yet, emotionally removed from their surroundings, they have stopped in the middle of what they were doing. They are lost deep in thought, or otherwise not quite ready to face the demands of a social engagement. They have paused for a moment to take that last deep breath.
Gest’s images are unique in their aesthetic—their visual language is one of painting rather than photography. In these images space conforms to the photographer’s vision, and not to the rules of optics as conventional photographs do. It may not be very obvious how these images are different from regular photographs, but that they are not ordinary images is immediately clear. These photographs reflect how Gest wants us to see the world—one thing at a time. Similar to the way the human eye sees, we get to look at a person’s face, their hands, their clothes, and any other noteworthy detail, while all else disappears unnoticed and somewhat out of focus. As an artist, Gest de-emphasizes the painstaking steps he takes to achieve his digitally produced images. Only the final photographs counts.
Life-size, standing or sitting in their frames, the people in Gest’s photographs have allowed us into their personal space. Alone in their head, not moving but far from being passive, they collect themselves for what is ahead. We don’t dare disturb them, however we cannot help but look.
Hannah Frieser
Major exhibitions at Light Work are published in the award winning publication, Contact Sheet, available by subscription or individual order.
Other information on Ben Gest can be found in the Light Work Online Collection.
The print Kathy on a Windy Boat, 2005 is available through Light Work's Fine Print Program.
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