Liat Elbling works in the same tradition as many photographers before her (Sandy Skoglund, Lori Nix, James Casebere) who construct entire sets for the purpose of being photographed. Liat meticulously lights her scenes, achieving a tonality that magnifies the three dimensional qualities of her constructions. The resulting images are representations of worlds wherein the viewer may not immediately distinguish fabrication from reality.

In her statement, the artist explains:

“In these series, I adopted a slightly different approach, and now, rather than taking away and eliminating details from existing models, I construct and compose them in my studio, These structures are some kind of gestures to the world I surrounded by: the street, the city, the view outside my window. I employ various materials: wood, MDF, plaster, Styrofoam, cardboard, and paper, painting each ‘set’ in a solid color, which is also manifested in the printing and framing process.

“By this actions I return to art’s basic characteristics: perspective, light and shade, exam the relationship between two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality, and encounters between materials, colors and textures. I wish to explore of course principles which are prevalent in photography – creating a replica in relation to the original, visual deceptions and disruption of space – but also am fascinated by how we can, briefly, simply, almost just ‘forget’ about the photograph.

“The issues I’m focusing on reflect my need to explore the medium of photography as it relates to itself, to the social order, and to other media, whether the photographs are about architectural structures, plates, or flowers; I have employed these as tools in my reflections on photography.”

Proposals for Disorder is on view through October 28, 2017. See the entire show on our website here.