I am interested in the facades people present to hide things about themselves. I look at the smallest details to understand what might lie underneath. Together the portraits in this series present a feast:  fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, cake.

We are not sure whether they provide nourishment or taunt us with the gifts. They offer and withhold at once.

Despite their forthright appearance these images suggest a tension.  They connect to the audience and disengage simultaneously, proposing a precarious intimacy. My photographs hover between strength and vulnerability, and speak to issues of connections and trust.

August 2010

To see more of Lydia’s work please visit  her website at lydiapanas.com

all images ©Lydia Panas (images from top to bottom; Blueberries, Pig, Radishes, Fancy Melon, Insect, Figs, Fish, Papayas)

Photo gallery after the break.

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Food Phobias

I am interested in engaging with the history of photography through my work and in finding new ways of using antique and contemporary processes to explore aspects of my own personal and cultural history. Food Phobias looks to a broad American cultural phenomenon and the personal experience of it.  Our news is riddled with periodic reports on dangers lurking within every corner of our diet.   At a recent family reunion, one cousin avoided carbs because she was dieting, one uncle refused to drink milk that was not organic, and my sister-in-law was chastened for eating swordfish because she was pregnant.  Meanwhile, my mother called to say that one of her cats seemed ill—perhaps her pet had been the victim of the pet food poisoning epidemic.  As urgent as these scares seem at the time, they are often trendy and short-lived.  In Food Phobias, I make connections between historical and contemporary hysterias through the use of the historical process of the daguerreotype.  The size of the cased image, as well as its mirror surface, creates an intimate viewing experience, reflecting the way that fear can manifest itself in ways both very public and very private.

To see more work from Rebecca Foley please visit her website at www.rebecca-foley.com.

All images ©Rebecca Foley (images from top; Pullusroseaphobia, Purinatoxiphobia, Mercuriopisciophobia, Koolicaphobia, Nuxaphobia, Pesticidophobia, Spinaciacoliphobia, Bovine Spongiform Encephalophobia, Monsantophobia)

Natalia’s Path

Visit www.joankocakphotography.com to see more of Joan’s work

While many have become enthralled with found photo albums, photographer Bonnie Jones turned her attention to found journals. Bonnie recreates imagined scenes using the diaries of strangers, forging an intriguing mix of past and present within each image.

See more of Bonnie’s work at www.bonniejonesphoto.com