Publicity: Matthieu Croizier
Art director Gem Fletcher examines the photography of Matthieu Croizier, whose isolation due to the pandemic sparked a surreal exploration of the human form, inspired by Geneviève Regnault, David Lynch and others
One of the effects of the pandemic and the universal order of staying home was the inevitable confrontation with ourselves. Our normally busy lives, crammed with productivity, obligations, and sociability, were abruptly exchanged for time alone with our thoughts.
In a strange turn of events, photographer Matthieu Croizier had almost anticipated this confrontation with himself when he tackled a form of creative isolation in his apartment to create a work entitled “Everything is getting dark a little further down”. "I had locked myself in my house in Lausanne so I continued when the Covid-19 lockdowns were in place," says Croizier. “I was alone and my mood kept changing. I was a little crazy sometimes because it was very intense, but at the same time it was great to experiment. "
The project, which has been in research and development for several months, explores the concept of common monstrosity – by dissolving the boundaries between what is considered normal and abnormal, and using the body as the primary material. The photographs show an extraordinary act of metamorphosis. Fragments are fused together to create something new that evokes visions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Claude Cahun's shape-shifting expressions of identity. Our sense of perception is destabilized because it uses the photo as a space to form and complicate ideas of self-expression.
All images from the series Everything is getting dark a little further down by Matthieu Croizier. All pictures © Matthieu Croizier
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