Surprise Inside by Walter Plotnick

Issue 161

My photographic collages serve as a metaphor for anticipation, those moments when the unknown is being revealed. Pivotal moments when life turns a corner into new and exciting phases, a heightening of our awareness that brings us fully into the moment of discovering what's next.

The implied act of opening the boxes, releases the energy of the occupants, allowing them to take flight. The people and objects confined within, through the simple act of unfolding, are exposed revealing what was previously hidden. I try to convey excitement, and energy in images that are playful, expressive, and nostalgically bring the viewer back to the joyful moments of anticipation felt in childhood.

The sense of nostalgia evoked in the graphic synthesis of these images is augmented through the use of a wash of warm sepia tones that permeate the images. The unusual and dissimilar combination of people and cardboard boxes is visually unified through the repetition of angles. Despite pairing such disparate elements, I bring them together harmoniously to form images with visual impact, and are frankly, fun to look at.

Walter Plotnick (he/him) lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
walterplotnick.com