Hannu Karjalainen
I have always been interested in and intrigued by portraits. The very notion of the portrait, be it a painting or a photograph, promises the viewer a glimpse to someoneīs persona, maybe soul even. A succesful portrait is often considered to be able to compress something essential about itīs subject into a single image. It is not a surprise that photography has been believed to be able to steal the soul.
I suggest my recent work to be seen as contemporary portraits. The works question the representation of singular identity through a constructed image. The portraits are remarked by the near absence or gradual erasure of their subjects. Their stories unfold with a logic that bears little resemblance to that of conventional everday life. Their stories are read in their bodies, their gestures, in the textures, in the details.
As the subjects appear distant and eventually unapproachable, we are left with a virtually blank screen on which to project oneīs own hopes, dreams, nightmares and fears.
Hannu Karjalainen
