Art What’s all the Fuss? Art
Making a splash: Fuss’ ethereal photograms employ an unconventional technique
A retrospective of Adam Fuss’s photos runs deep, writes Marie-Charlotte Pezé Among the artists who have experimented with photograms, Adam Fuss is widely recognised as a master of the old, unconventional photographic technique. A photogram is taken without a camera, simply by placing objects directly on to photo-sensitive material. The resulting silhouettes of varied tones and hues are sometimes reminiscent of an X-ray or a large negative. While Man Ray’s photograms play with shapes and dada-esque compositions, and Picasso’s were mostly incorporated into mixed-medium cubist portraits, Fuss’ approach transcends the craft to find poetry. The life-size black and white photograms of his ‘Ark’ series are a fascinating exploration of the shape
and movement of water. Playing with depth, form and consistence, they’re a study on the graphic element of nature, sometimes invoking mountainous reliefs, sometimes the texture of food. Some even bring to mind Antonio Tapiès’ abstract paintings or what could be monochrome Jackson Pollock. Admiring these works without the benefit of knowledge of the technique somewhat dampens the effect and the curator’s choice to provide no explanation of the photogram process in the exhibition was grave mistake. Even if it’s shrouded in mystery for the uninitiated, though, Fuss’ work is appealing for its delicacy and mysticism, especially in ‘My Ghost’, a series of photograms and daguerreotypes that play with the subjects’ opacity and ma-
terials. A butterfly so flimsy it’s almost intangible, ethereal christening gowns with lovely lace detail and the intricate feathers of a peacock: substance always transcends the simplicity of the image here. His daguerreotypes (some of which are considered the largest in the world) resemble fine etchings on glass where the viewer can see his own reflection suddenly incorporated into the art. Fuss’ ingenious use of water and transparencies compensate for the medium’s lack of background and depth of field, perhaps nowhere as vibrantly as in his ‘Invocation’ series, where shadows of babies surrounded by colourful water create an intoxicating feeling of life which goes beyond the simple symbolism of birth. The richness of the yellow hues, reminis-
Fuss’ approach transcends the craft to find poetry
cent of the sun and the harmonious shapes of waves and drops outshine the exploration of earthly elements and trigger a pleasant desire to enter the pictures. Fuss’ personal collection, presented downstairs, brings even more breadth to his oeuvre and offers the opportunity to study his sources of inspiration: an arresting mix of the mystical, morbid and pornographic, where close ups of vaginas sit by photographs of mass graves and tourist sites such as Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. If the human is mostly absent in its conventional form, Fuss’ fascination with the effect is everywhere – the disturbing, the poetic, the magical. The sense of enigma is enchanting and Fuss, like a skilled seducer, re-transcribes it in pure form in his own photography, calling upon our emotions in a very discreet yet powerful way. ‘Adam Fuss Retrospective 1986-2010’ runs at Huis Marseille until 4 Sept.
August 2011 www.timeoutamsterdam.nl 55