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It's the End of the World As We Know It. You Feel Fine (2022)
Welcome, and thank you for coming by to take a look
As the painter Agnes Martin once remarked, when I think of art I think of beauty. Yet in these times of image glut, our ways of seeing photographic beauty risk becoming played out: a lovely, endless rose parade of favorite subjects, conventional tropes, and algorithmic enhancements.
My work seeks to revitalize a sense of the unexpected in beauty, first for my own eyes and then maybe also for yours. Here we encounter it in less familiar contexts, and look beyond the usual notions of prettiness to connect beauty more directly and deeply with ideas that matter to us, ideas that go to the heart of life and death and human folly.
You'll find a lot on view.
- A dozen photo-essays.
- 40 portfolios. Maybe 1000 images.
- Many styles and experiments.
- Some sad and shocking things.
The art here involves looking at pictures, of course, but not just that. The titles and texts, which can be substantial and deliberately disruptive, prod you to consider alternate meanings, and may change how you feel about what you're seeing.
(The images and texts are conceived for viewing side by side, so they're best experienced, if convenient, on a laptop or monitor, rather than on a handheld.)
As for you, I designed this gallery space with your visit in mind, organizing images and essays with care around a menu of alternate contexts for beauty. Each group of portfolios opens with a brief intro, the ..why.
Four pages provide a consolidated preview of my work and the conceptual framework that shapes the rest of the site.
From there, head anywhere.
Again thank you.
It's wonderful that you've come by.
Except where indicated, all text and images at this website are (c) 2023 Hunter Madsen, with all rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without prior written permission.