In Brightness of a Shadow, the figure appears caught in a kind of glitched purgatory between the real and the imagined, or the physical and digital. The flickering static that dominates the left-hand side of the image creates negative space and emptiness in the composition, appearing as a kind of … (read more)

In Brightness of a Shadow, the figure appears caught in a kind of glitched purgatory between the real and the imagined, or the physical and digital. The flickering static that dominates the left-hand side of the image creates negative space and emptiness in the composition, appearing as a kind of pressure over the figure, connecting through contrast to what seem to be inner thoughts surfacing from an unconscious state of reflection.

Use of static and other digital elements forces the viewer to notice the role the medium plays which, in this case, mirrors analog photography and the early days of digital media. Considering the way film photography captures images and colours by relying on light, Brightness of a Shadow appears to, instead, capture the moment of overexposure and blankness.

With this, the figure appears as if placed under a spotlight. Except, instead of every detail being sharpened and available for scrutiny, the figure is indistinguishable from his surroundings. This, alongside the deliberate use of hand-drawn gestures, suggests a lost sense of identity in a world full of communication and noise. Chloe Diamond, curator at MoCDA