Perpetually absent to my body, to my acts, I am despite myself that â??divine absenceâ?? of which Valery speaks. I cannot say that I am either here or that I am not here.
- Jean Paul Satre
Absence is the central theme of my current body of work. The anxiety of being unable to feel fully present in the moment is the focus of this series. The subject in each photograph is fading into the background while, at the same time, remains present. Accompanying each figure in the frame is an artificial flower, which appears as living, suggesting the desire to outwardly appear alive while inwardly feeling as though one is dying.
Reminiscent of another time they allure to the idea of â??living in the pastâ??. The idea that though one is physically present, mentally they are not. Covering a wide range of ages the subjects were chosen to represents the overall disconnect of contemporary society.
erinHogue was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography from Ryerson University in 2008. Her work has earned Honourable Mention in the Magenta Foundationâ??s 2009 Flash Forward book, as well as been awarded with Applied Arts Magazineâ??s 2009 Student Award. Her work has also been published in the Toronto Star. Hogue has exhibited in both Toronto and Melbourne, Australia. Her shows include; On the Edge of Real, Earning a Voice, Maximum Exposure and Art Holes.
