Artist's Statement

Vanity studies is a series of still-life images, based on the 17th century "Vanitas" paintings, depicting compositions of objects that symbolized the vanity of worldly things and the brevity of life. After the initial research on the Vanitas theme, my attention was turned to the compositional and aesthetic challenges, since the conceptual strength was established and would be consistent through the series, without specific ideas per picture. This allowed for a more expressive process since images were not dictated by a carefully selected title, but the spontaneous visual chemistry between objects that take on unconventional meanings. Components of the traditional compositions were mixed with contemporary and technology inspired elements, in order to graduate the symbolic value of the imagery to the present.

The objects were first captured through a flat bed scanner and then they were combined digitally. Scanning is a "primitive" form of digital photography, able to define and retain texture, detail, distortion and dramatic light values by eliminating the distance between the subject and the lens. The on-screen method allows for solid and translucent interaction between the elements, resulting to a multidimensional final composition, diametrically different from its mostly static predecessors. Another difference is the lack of color, that gives these monochromatic prints an x-ray like quality that reflects the original intentions of their 17th century prototypes.

As an artist infatuated with technology, its shapes and surfaces, this series has been an opportunity to approach organic subjects and made me discover, or better rediscover, nature's relevance as the foundation to all. Even though my work is character centric, this sharp thematic turn to still-lifes was possible in part because the Vanitas were characterized by a prominently displayed skull, a motif I consider visually stunning and symbolically potent. Vanity Studies is a series that refers not so much to the futility of what does not last, but the surprising aesthetic qualities of the ordinary.

—Viktor Koen