Michael Butler

Rodeo Drive The drama of life can be full of poignant junctures….you can see humanity and vulnerability through the glimpse of a private moment. these pictures attempt to scrutinize the apex of public and private space; to document the psychic realm that makes up a large part of us all. Here are people of status and importance...contemporary bodies...the artifacts of the culture...the special talismans used to protect the seekers of beauty and eternal youth. there is a forced distance between the viewer and the image by light and shadow. this is the prerogative of the subjects themselves. cloistered …. powerful and mute… they withdraw into a world of privilege. These are solitary figures, some have aged, endured sadness...experienced the travails of time. yet there is something resilient in their nature. there is a resemblance to tribal masks. evocative of a world more primitive, more cannibalistic. it gives these people a threatening force; a transcendence in their labyrinth of emotion. The surface of the pictures are constantly metamorphosing, peeling off the layers to find the image underneath. the natural light is strong. the sun’s rays hinder perception. the lines on the surface interrupt the subjects themselves. the sharply defined outline of shapes give way to contours that become abstract. The influence of shapes and colors, shadows and reflections are meant to balance the surreal with the flow of objects and conjure a human landscape in a dreamlike state. We have been given a momentary glimpse into a world we are not supposed to see. we are not neutral observers here...nor are we supposed to be.