MATTHIAS SCHALLER: Disportraits

Ben Brown Fine Arts announces an exhibition of new works by German photographer Matthias Schaller. Disportraits explores in the artist’s typical striking visual signature, the correlation between the concepts of distance and space, of presence and absence, and ultimately, the human condition. As the artist stated:
“As with all my series, the leading argument is the variation on portrait. I had the sensation that I could try to either make portraits of mankind, or of individuals. I liked the idea of having a connection between the individual and space, (in this case the prominent figure of Galileo), and with suits in a more abstract sense, as you can only imagine a human figure in the astronaut suit, but you cannot see it. It is anonymous.

I think the astronaut suit is a metaphor for human beings. Through them I am able in a visual and simple way to show that I believe we are all astronauts. We are all alone, we are isolated from each other. And we are all trying by verbal and non-verbal communication to get in contact with each other. To not feel alone. Each individual is a space with its own rules, materials, history and relations to the space outside of itself.”