Above Image: Michael Marcelle
On July 31, Pioneer Works celebrated the release of Vice Magazine's 13th photo issue: Trompe-L'Oleil. This annual exhibition features a selection of large-scale prints from the magazine which include the work of esteemed artists Weegee, Cindy Sherman, and Laurie Simmons. Accompanying these images in the magazine is an essay by Bob Nickas and poetry by Paul Legault.
Depicting a series of optical illusions and photographic trickery typical of Trompe-L'Oleil, the exhibit pushes the boundaries of our perception of objects in all three dimensions.
The cover's photo by Michael Bühler-Rose appropriately introduces this theme of visual transformation by capturing a vivid chemical explosion. Arising from the surface of a white pedestal, a previously invisible liquid bursts into a display of flames and smoke against a delicate pink background. The reaction appears to emerge from a blank surface, now stained with burn marks from the flames it created.
Vice Magazine's 13th photo issue highlights an impressive collection of visually inciting and mind-bending images while offering readers an alternative outlook on the boundaries of our perception. A selection of the magazine's images are on display through August 10 at Pioneer Works Gallery.
Text By Kate Marin
Event Photographs Courtesy of Pioneer Works