About the Project

Art Wolfe black and white headshot by Tara Gimmer
© 2012 Tara Gimmer

At first glance, one would see this new body of work as starkly different from any I have done in the past. But in fact, this is a natural evolution of my work and interests.

These works are created with the objective toward theatrical as opposed to erotic. Nevertheless, many of the landscapes and human forms are inescapably sensual in nature. Having traveled often over the past 30 years to remote cultures, nudity is more the norm than not. One could say traditional and religious teachings have impressed upon our culture that the human nude form be viewed somewhat differently. I value challenging the perception of these concepts.

If you look closely, you will see a direct progression from the work I have done earlier in tribal communities, where spots, lines, and textures play heavily into the ornamental decoration that remote peoples use during celebrations.

Additionally, I have drawn heavily from the images I did in my book Vanishing Act, a collection showing how evolutionary traits benefit animals in disguising themselves from predators.

In this new series, I have tried to abstract the human form through the use of line, patterns, texture as well as unusual angles of view.