LandEscape Art Review | Page 100

Land scape
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW

Stefan Lesueur

Lives and works in Portland , USA

M y interest in space is the source of inspiration for my artistic practice . I use a variety of media , including painting , photography , and installation to communicate my observations and develop a narrative examining the ways in which time , material , and human presence effect the nature of our surroundings .

In my ongoing series , Obscura , I examine the relationship between the photographer , the camera , and the space the photographer occupies . The project consists of photos I have taken while traveling , which I manipulate to create the effect of voiding the surrounding environment . Thus , rather than attempting to document a pristine view of iconic locations such as Yellowstone , or Tokyo Imperial Palace , the series instead profiles the people I encounter during my visits . The idea is to comment on the ways in which the ubiquitous use of cameras alters the way we interact with our environment ; to serve more as a tool that promotes our culture ’ s mass perpetuation of images and desire to say “ I was here ” over first-hand experience .
While Obscura is my longest running project , my artistic approach is based on creating varied work with the theme of space as a continuous thread , and I ’ m more than willing to challenge norms that I create for myself . It ’ s in this spirit that I make works like Landscapes for Richter , in which I spray watered-down acrylic paint over Tyvek sheets to create patterns mimicking a landscape . The project contrasts Obscura rather directly both conceptually and in process . While the editing process for Obscura is intensive , Landscapes for Richter is more playful and experimental . Obscura effaces a literal place , commenting on how the camera and photographic image distract from a true location . Landscapes for Richter , however , creates an artificial space that I ultimately present through a final photographed image , emulating aerial photography .
I enjoy the comparison of these two projects because they reveal my desire to experiment . While I consider the study of space as the basis to my work , I believe there are multiple ways to approach the topic . Though varied , I don ’ t see my projects as disparate . Rather they represent a more complete view of my observations .