Silver Gelatin Prints in the size of 50x50cm or 50x60cm, Limited Edition of 10.
Butterflies and moths present an unique allure. Often though, only the most colorful species, particularly butterflies, gain our attention, whereas moths seem somewhat neglected. Albeit these creatures appear occasionally in art such as in oil paintings, as part of a portrait or still life, they are seldom the center of interest for artists. These insects are ontologically in search of light, flying in complete darkness. The reason behind this attraction to light isn’t yet clearly understood. One of the main theories supposing it descends from their sense of orientation confounding any source of illumination with moonlight.
This seemingly erratic yearning towards light can be compared to humankind and its relentless search for answers to the many unsolved questions of existence. It may be the search for a purpose in life, the need to define one’s own identity, the longing for happiness and love or the craving for a reconnection with nature. In all my works, the moths and butterflies were partly alive and nurtured my deep curiosity towards their characters and behaviors. I needed to explore the possibilities of working with unpredictability and coincidence, of working with the challenge of being constrained by a very limited amount of analog film exposures and the limited time imposed by the ephemeral lives. I tried to create images that may look improbable, perhaps impossible, so to challenge the viewer, hence entice him to interact more closely with the subject. Choosing black and white derived from the decision to set the focus on the animals and their intriguing existence, to explore their being without the fanciful colors. Strongly reminding me of humans hiding their real selves as they dress up and use makeup for the daily theater of social interactions.
