I first saw this photograph at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco this month. It is memorizing in person and has become a favorite. It is an illustration of unity. The subjects are the photographers. A wife and husband based in Beijing. Stemming from a culture where gender roles are traditionally unbalanced they have portrayed complete harmony in color, form, gender and as a couple. A beautiful yet complex concept delivered with such simplicity that it feels easily attainable. The image was created in 2008 is "Untitled, No. 25" by RongRong and Inri.
Vlad Artazov: Nail's Life
Anthropomorphism is a funny concept. It's the projection of human qualities onto non-human things. It's a practice ingrained in human nature. We do it as children when playing with our favorite toys and we do it as adults when interacting with our pets. As a culture it's prevalent in our literature, religions, art and language. Our need as people to relate, to communicate with others is evident by our need to humanize everything around us.
Vlad Artazov, a Czech photographer, has illustrated this need beautifully in his "Nail's Life" series. With only a few bent nails arranged in astoundingly real-life settings he conveys an extensive range of human emotions. The simplicity of the settings juxtaposed with the complexity of the emotions expressed delivers unexpectedly beautiful and touching scenes. That a nail, a commonplace inanimate tool, can bring out genuine sensitivity in the viewer speaks to Mr. Artazov's impressive insight into human nature and our inherit need of compassion.
Click through the images below to view more of the series.
Source: www.gabrielasuazo.com