The Pale Mirror

Art Life , Exhibitions Aug 24, 2012 No Comments

By Sharne Wolff

Mark Kimber’s photography explores the blurred edges between truth and fiction. In The Pale Mirror, Kimber draws on cinematic imagery of the past to conjure epic scenes; tall ships on stormy seas, eerie city buildings, beaming searchlights and cliff top mysteries highlight episodes from youth ‘half remembered’ by the artist.

To create each shot, Kimber fashions a small hand-built diorama lit dramatically by tiny lights. Each miniature landscape is photographed on film using a pinhole camera and a combination of old and new techniques – but without any digital manipulation. Colours are vivid but pearly, and dark vignetting emphasises the cinematic effect. Veiled scenes emerge while possibilities of time, place and imagined narratives tumble from each image. What we see is dependent on the relationship between the visual evidence and our intellectual experience.

The idea that photographic technology is the most reliable process by which to capture ‘truth’ has been one much explored in art. Kimber’s photographs serve as reminders that every image we see is a construction, and every ‘replica’ of reality only ever a pale mirror.

29 August – 6 October 2012
Stills Gallery, Paddington.
Pic: ‘Into the seas without shore 2012’ from The Pale Mirror © Mark Kimber. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.

The Art Life’s ‘Exhibitions’ section previews new and upcoming shows of note. Like to be included? Send info + Pics to: the art life at hot mail dot com. Include “Exhibitions” in the subject line.

Sharne Wolff

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.