Ethan Benedek
Untitled, 2020
inkjet print
16 x 24, 6 x 6
Untitled, 2020
inkjet print
16 x 24, 6 x 6
Artist Statement
This project focuses on challenging the ways in which objects appear at first glance and exploring how that perception changes as the viewer’s perspective shifts. I am examining what happens when a viewer considers an object’s identity--investigating what it means to take something that we think we know--the idea of an object--and transform it into something new by looking closely at its material characteristics. Rather than having the viewer identify and dismiss a familiar item, my photos demonstrate how the power of abstraction can de materialize the object and subvert the viewer’s expectations. The larger image of each diptych is an abstraction, while the secondary ‘archival image’ provides a context for that abstraction. The viewer is invited to examine the connection between the two images and their points of reference. One classifies the object in a recognizable way, and the other foregrounds its abstract, intangible qualities. I am interested in the tension between the absence and the presence of the object in both photos. I am also interested in exploring what it means to take something we think we know and transform it into something new. Abstraction gives the viewer a unique experience that can take them in a myriad of directions and interpretations that can even surpass the artist's expectations. I believe that this multitude of interpretations is powerful and that abstraction can elicit them from both mundane and unique objects.
About Ethan
Ethan Benedek was born in 1998 and grew up in New York City. He is a student at Ithaca College pursuing a B.S. degree in Cinema and Photography with a concentration in Still Photography and is currently on the staff of Stillwater magazine working as a photo editor. He has also worked as a photographer’s assistant and as a photographer for the online magazine and tour organization Untapped New York. Benedek is inspired by the works of Masao Yamamoto and James Casebere and is interested in blurring the boundaries between representation and abstraction in his own photography. He explores the tension between intentionality and chance and how that intersects with the power of abstraction. Benedek’s work centers on capturing the textures, forms, and atmospheric qualities that he finds in objects and environments--from ordinary household items to monumental architectural structures, to living organisms. His goal is to subvert the viewer’s expectations and present an image that challenges conventional perception.