artists     stories    image-search     news    contact

Oblivion

© David Maisel

The urban dweller of Southern California now exists in what Mike Davis terms “the fastest growing metropolis in the western world, with a built-up surface area nearly the size of Ireland, and a GNP bigger than India’s.” Themes of development as a self-generating, self-replicating force that exists outside of nature are encoded in the photographs in Oblivion, which view the empire of Los Angeles as both a specific site and as a more generalized condition.
The inversion of tonalities in these works de-familiarizes the images. It also subtly refers to other ways of imaging — like the x-ray, which sees within the structure of an organism or body — or other modes of seeing — like the flickering negative images in an atomic blast, when the shadow world is revealed and released.

From above, in these aerial views, we see encrypted within the city’s code the elements of our own vulnerability. The images describe a potentially desecrated urban fabric, even as they transcribe the commonplace. The city’s circuitry becomes a day-for-night version of reality; the water seems made of metal, the city made of ash.

click to view complete set in the archive

click here to learn about the monograph 'Oblivion'


Institute Artist is redefining how stories are produced and told. Representing auteur-driven storytellers, we bring together talent across commercials, photography, fine art, and film. Founded by Matt Shonfeld and Frank Evers. Institute Artists multi-platform production expertise, and established global relationships in entertainment, fine art, and journalism make for unmatched reach and cross-pollination of creative work. Institute Artist has been a leading advocate of the power of underrepresented talent and is fully committed to bringing these authentic voices to our clients by helping them tell compelling and entertaining stories that better connect with their audiences.