Charlotte Mariën: Illuminating the Photographic Abyss
Belgian artist Charlotte Mariën ventures into surrealism through her captivating photographic experiments. With an ability to harness the evocative power of the night, she delves into dreamscapes that stretch the boundaries of imagination. Marien's artistry emerges from the shadows, utilizing a mesmerizing interplay of light sources – from projections to flashes, from ethereal glows to enigmatic reflections – within the darkest of scenarios. "What inspires me about nocturnal settings is how the mind fills the voids left by hidden entities.," she conveys.
Surrealism courses through Mariën's work, serving as both a gateway to her dreams and a conduit to her unconscious. Her photography serves as a tool that bridges the gaps in her imagination, while also embracing the spirit of play, experimentation, and the possibilities that analog processes offer.
Mariën's body of work has been compiled into a book entitled "Obscurances." This collection revolves around a fictitious character trapped in a dream – an entity suspended in the void of Marien's imagination. In these images, a spectral silhouette appears amidst a backdrop of hands, mysterious lights, reflections, and more. It is a playground where reality is defied to represent elements that, by conventional standards, should not exist.
"'Obscurances' revolves around a fictional character seemingly submerged in an alternative reality," Mariën shares. "The title is a fusion of two words: 'obscure' and 'occurrences.' 'Obscure,' apart from its meaning of darkness and enigma, pays homage to the camera obscura, the origin of photography itself. To me, this is a nod to the essence of photography – a dark room where present light rays converge to create an image. 'Occurrences,' on the other hand, allude to the remarkable events experienced by the fictitious character. This series embodies experiments with unconventional light sources, layering, reflections, and projections."
With her work, Mariën challenges the representational capacity of the camera, bending reality to create alternative paths of perception. Her goal is to promote openness to the strange and the unknown. She believes that this attitude is essential not only in her art but also in life, as it prompts a reevaluation of ingrained conceptions and invites a fresh perspective.Through her lens, she invites us to delve deeper into our own imagination and embrace the enigmatic, reminding us that within the shadows lies a world waiting to be illuminated.
To learn more about Charlotte Mariën's work, you can visit her website or social media.
