Rox Gallery : Stories and Optical Illusions

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Ever walk into those elevators with mirrors on all 4 sides and see yourself infinitely from every angle. It can be slightly creepy, and I never thought that all the reflections could create an image such as this. The symmetry and aesthetic quality from this man simply standing in one place is quite remarkable.

The whole photograph serves as a sort of optical illusion – a photograph of initial light that descends into a three-dimensional darkness. Breaking it down, one aspect of this photo is the naked man surrounded by a bright light and white walls. The color white, the brightness of the photo, and the nude man are often symbols of purity. However, looking to either side of the reflections, the image of the man gets infinitely smaller until he is submerged into this black square, which I believe tells us a story of the mans change in his life, towards darkness. The color black is symbolic of the hidden and secretive. From this, I can assume that the man slowly becomes immersed by his lies and potential problems. I also see another perspective that contains a biblical allegory. The naked man symbolizes Adam and the start of the world and this black box symbolizes original sin. However, these are just two potential aspects of understanding this picture; but with art this vague, a lot is left to interpretation.

2 thoughts on “Rox Gallery : Stories and Optical Illusions

  1. Semona Skvirsky

    I was intrigued with this photograph too Michelle. I also got a dark vibe from it and your idea of him being caught up in his lies is fascinating. Elevators like that make me feel slightly uncomfortable. There’s something almost provocative about those mirrors. I wonder if it’s because the mirrors make us face the reality of who we are and make us think.

  2. semona

    I was intrigued with this photograph too Michelle. I also got a dark vibe from it and your idea of him being caught up in his lies is fascinating. Elevators like that make me feel slightly uncomfortable. There’s something almost provocative about those mirrors. I wonder if it’s because the mirrors make us face the reality of who we are and make us think.

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