FRAGMENTS OF BLUE
AN EXHIBITION FOCUSING ON MENTAL HEALTH
WITH GABRIEL ISAK
BACKGROUND
Around 280 million people in the world live with depression, and to this day there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. This makes it even more important for me to work with the subject in my fine art photography, to spread awareness about depression and mental health.
“I myself have been trapped by a deep depression for almost 10 years, and photography gave me the power to express myself, and quickly I began to realise that my photography was a reflection of the years I lived in the blue.” - Gabriel Isak!
THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition Fragments of Blue weaves together the interplay between light and dark, while the presence of the color blue creates an atmosphere characterised by calmness and melancholy. The photographs, ranging from images in my upcoming book to new works, delve into the blue and explores the balance between light and shadow, conscious and unconscious and the self's relationship to its shadow. Through surreal and minimalist landscapes, the camera is used as a tool to highlight symbols and emotions, where desolated scenes with anonymous figures give the viewer the opportunity to project themselves into the works. The exhibition touches on themes such as melancholy, existence, psychology and the dream world, while inviting reflection on one’s own life journey and experiences.
Following are the three rooms in which the exhibition is intended to take place.
ROOM 1
THE BLUE ROOM
This room forms the heart of the exhibition. Here, the depth and power of the color blue are presented, with works symbolizing introspection, emotions, and melancholy. An interactive installation will also be featured here: a life-sized ocean backdrop where visitors are invited to step into the artwork and create their own personal images, turning toward the infinite blue with the moon hovering above them. Another idea is to have a floating black balloon that visitors can take a picture with, where the balloon covers their face with the ocean in the background.
SOUNDSCAPE
This exhibition has a soundcapes that reinforce the mood we want. Listen here.
The blue room with its blue walls and dark blue framing
The backdrop with special lightning andmarks where to stand to to get a good selfie.
ROOM 3
THE PSYCHOLIGICAL ROOM
In this room, works with white colors dominate, which reflects on the theme of the self, psyche and the fragility of the soul. The sterile, clean environment enhances the sense of introspection and vulnerability. The photographs here explore the mental and emotional states characterized by clarity, purity, emptiness, reflection and the self. The room will feature the bodysuit from my works, that has come to life in form of a soft material or inflatable figure that will be placed in the center of the room. This figure can be either, white, black or blue.
The light room is set with white walls and white framing.
ROOM 2
THE SHADOWS ROOM
Here we enter darker territories, where photographs with the color black and shadows dominate. The works here reflect what is hidden within us, our unconsciousness and our inner shadow.
This room will feature to blue curtains places against a black wall, taken from the image “Into the Black”, where viewers can create their own works of art based on the image and my work. Additionally,
I plan to incorporate black sand from Iceland's famous black beaches into this room that is presented in some of the photographs in this room, further enhancing the tactile and visual effect of shadow and darkness.
Together, these three rooms create a surreal and interactive experience that allows visitors to explore both their internal and external worlds, where shadow and self, light and dark, color and the absence of color, meet and juxtapose each other.
The shadow room has a darker colorsetting and a different color on the frames.
The backdrop with special lightning andmarks where to stand to to get a good selfie.
FACTS
The exhibition consists of 40-50 pieces in various sizes.
Several are over 150 and more cm.
Each piece includes a small story attached beside it with a Velcro strip that can be mounted on the wall.
The frames have different colors to suit each specific room. Specially made for this show
The backgrund for the selfie sections is printed on fabric and adapted to the appropriate space. It is stretched within an aluminum frame.
The large figure in Room 3 is made of a soft material or as an inflatable figure, placed in the center of the room, standing 3-4 meters high.
The exhibitions comes I cradles on wheels. Adapted to fit in most elevators.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
AND ENQUIRIES:
Per Olsson
+46 703-757787
per@uponwalls.com
COLLECTIONS BY GABRIEL ISAK
