http://www.artconnect.com/projects/promised-land

Michal Konrad

Michal Konrad is a polish photographer who was born in 1983. He lives in Wodzislaw Slaski. From an early age Michal was interested in visual art.  He is a Physical Education teacher, but he does not let it stop his artistic motivations. The focus of Michal’s photography is man. Within his work he primarily concentrates on the ‘psychological sphere’. It shows how a person perceives the environment in the modern world and ho environment effects him. His visions have a surreal character, balancing on the border of sleep and imagination. According to Michal, “Inspiration comes mainly from observation, but also on his subjective feelings.”

My project is fundamentally focused on how the body can be used to physically express hidden emotions, and mental illnesses. I also plan on linking body dysmophia into it. I believe that the photographer Michal Konrad used this  conception within his work. He describes the different ways he creates his ideas, and one if them is based on his “subjective feelings.” This definitely links with me project because he is using his emotions to conceive the unique perspectives that he creates. Some of the projects that he has done are called “Promised Land”, “Amnesia” and “Insomnia.” He uses the body, mainly a man, to express his views.

The images below are from his project called Amnesia. Michal has an extremely unique outlook on his perspectives. He describes his ideas in a very descriptive, poetic way which I really like.

“I can see the horizon somewhere in the distance, the noise in the ears. I’m sort of without a head, but the body trembling. I’m going ahead, looking for a trace in the memory. In the reflection of the water I see myself. I think it was me. Although I do not know who I am. I thought to myself how is it suddenly lose memory. This cycle is just about it. It is my imagination, as well as experience. As a small boy I have experienced short-term memory loss as a result of the accident.”

Although the images have a simplistic look and feel, with the soft light and simple colour scheme, the atmosphere that each image has creates this deeper meaning within the frame. The images as a series unfolds a story. From Michal’s description we learn that he experienced an accident as a young child, and because of this he had short-term memory loss. Michal uses this experience and convey’s the emotions into his work. He describes one of the images as ” I’m without a head, but the body trembling.”  Michal uses his imagination as well as his experiences to create his unique ideas. I really like this conception and way of planning and I now want to use this process in my own project.

Another project that Michal did is called “Promised Land.” This is how he describes it, “I had a dream, like a strange helplessness overwhelmed me. I felt heavy and tired. My legs like roots were rooted in the ground. Each step was hard after which grew tired. I stood there motionless, unmoved snow and cold. I watched the others go, and I was tied to the ground. I prayed to God. God told me to play music.

 The cycle presents the difficult relationship of man to the place where the man lives. Photographs are my self-portrait. All I have done using a 20-second shutter release. Series of conceptual photography. The cycle presents the difficult relationship of man to the place where the man alive. Photographs are my self-portrait.”

According to the internet, Conceptual Photography is “a type of photography that illustrates an idea” The whole of this series is based on the idea of conceptual photography. Michal uses his imagination rather than his experiences. He describes the series as “I had a dream, like a strange helpless overwhelmed me.” Similarly to the series called Amnesia, the series is told like a story. I really like the way Michal presents his work, and the description that each series is introduced with. You can see the each series has a theme that Michal keeps too. This is what makes his work so appealing.

I really like Michal Konrad’s images because they are simple yet they express a deeper sentiment. he created image that are made to make the viewer think more about what they are seeing. He is a surrealist photographer who wants to provoke a thought process in the viewers mind. Most of Konrad’s images are based on an emotion or thought process. He use using himself within his images to express his feelings.