In Richard Mosse’s photographs of war and its destructive force, vibrant tones of red and pink depict the silent onlookers of the war. Plants, trees and decaying flowers in far off depths of the globe adopt warm candy colors as they contrast with armed men in their most vigilant yet weary states.
Using a false-colored Kodak Aerochrome film that bears infrared imagery, the Irish-born and New York based artist distances the viewer from his intense subject matter in a way that his technique does not numb the viewer from the severity of the content, but opens new possibilities for its interpretation.
[quote_center] “I was motivated to use this particular film when Kodak announced that they were going to discontinue the stock in 2009. I decided to bring it to Congo for a number of reasons […] it it seemed inappropriate and made me feel slightly uncomfortable. That’s always a good place to go as an artist.” [/quote_center]
His photographs of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo complicates the excessively amassed visual data imposed by the media to initiate alternative arguments on the subject. The nature resisting man’s cruelty and mammon strikes in the brightest tones of red, pink and crimson. Mosse, who holds degrees from Goldsmiths and Yale School of Arts, is represented by Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.
Want to learn more? Clear here to watch a video chronically Mosse’s journey into the Congo.
Source: IStillShootFilm.org
