My photographic collages serve as a metaphor for anticipation, those moments when the unknown is being revealed.
Pivotal moments when life turns a corner into new and exciting phases, heightening our awareness and bringing us fully into the moment of discovering what comes next.
The implied act of opening the boxes releases the energy of the occupants, allowing them to take flight. The people and objects confined within, through the simple act of unfolding, are exposed, revealing what was previously hidden.
I try to convey excitement and energy in images that are playful, expressive, and nostalgically bring the viewer back to the joyful moments of anticipation felt in childhood.
The sense of nostalgia evoked in the graphic synthesis of these images is augmented through the use of a wash of warm sepia tones that permeate them. There is also a visual correlation between the inhabitants of the boxes and the boxes themselves. The folds of the boxes, having a quality not unlike origami, are reflected in the contortionist-like bending of the human forms within.
The unusual and dissimilar combination of people and cardboard boxes is visually unified through the repetition of angles. Despite pairing such disparate elements, I bring them together harmoniously to form images with visual impact that are, frankly, fun to look at.
About Walter Plotnick
Mr. Plotnick is a photo-based artist who lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He received his MFA from the University of the Arts and his BFA from the Tyler School of Art. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Fine Arts Department at Penn State University Abington. [Official Website]
