Alternative mediums make for delicious photography

What do you get when art material compliments its subject? The answer is an “impossible illusion” according to Vik Muniz.
Muniz is the artist exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Arts from Oct. 4 till Jan. 6.
“When I pick a material to work with, I am always aware of the conceptual disparity between it and the image I want to portray, but instead of making a statement – I hate art that makes statements, – I create a situation in which both material and image have to be negotiated,” he said.
Born in 1961 in Sao Paulo Brazil, Muniz moved to New York City in 1984 to pursue his career in art.
He has earned an international reputation for his photographic masterpieces created with everyday material.
The museum is holding an exhibit comprised of 111 of Muniz’s work from 27 major series dating from 1988 to the present.
Muniz produces photographic images that capture his temporary creations made from various materials including sugar, chocolate syrup, diamonds, caviar, toys, garbage, peanut butter, jam, and a great deal more.
All of his pieces walk a fine line between illusion and object.
Each work is just as astonishing as the next; from his peanut butter and jelly version of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, to his Medusa made of spaghetti.
Muniz was present at the museum on Oct. 3 to launch his exhibit and answer a few questions about art and its perception.
“I am very ambitious,” he says , “I will use any medium to create the illusion and in the end capture it with a picture.”
The power of his illusions are numerous, you can start by seeing the big picture, the finished product, but once you start examining the photographs more closely you start to realize that in reality it is not at all what it seems.
Each detail is meticulously thought out in order to create the perfect balance and harmonious combination of shape, colour and texture in order to achieve the sought-after illusion.
Muniz changes our perception on the visual world; everything is not what it seems.
The originality of his exhibit is what makes it impossible to pass up.
I strongly recommend that everyone makes their way to the Montreal MCA before Jan. 6 to see the exhibit of a lifetime.
Even without an expertise in art, this show is fully enjoyable.

Related Posts