Ibid : In the same place
Ibid: In the same place
Mitchell Bright
Ilam Campus Gallery
Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch
24 September - 22 October 2021
"Driven by the idea of the exotic and a desire to explore the places I had stared at countless times through the lenses of some of my biggest influences, I travelled across the United States, from East to West. Whilst the images I made are of places I had never physically visited before, they felt very familiar. I was not able to see the landscape as it was, rather as a series of pictures asking to be retaken.
Trying to capture what this place meant to me felt like walking a tightrope. My visual style and interests are idiosyncratic, but undoubtedly the way I see and think about photography has been heavily influenced by the photographers I have studied – mostly American greats who inspired a sense of possibility and passion within the medium. In that sense, during my time in the U.S. I regularly had to resist the urge to make obvious images like I had seen before. I was very aware of how difficult it can be to make work in America as a foreigner that is wholly original.
Ibid : In the same place is an exhibition within which I have tried to reconcile this influence in order to more clearly see myself within it." - Mitchell Bright
Mitchell Bright is a Christchurch based artist who graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts in 2017 with a Masters degree in Photography. Bright’s practice delves into areas of fine art and documentary photography.
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