Keith Arnatt began his career as a conceptual artist, often taking a performative role in his work. However, my favourite of his images are the ones in which he takes everyday, unattractive things and gives them a new appearance.
Two of Arnatt’s projects that I particularly wanted to look at are Pictures from a Rubbish Tip [1988-89] and The Tears of Things – Objects from a Rubbish Tip [1990-91]. I really like these images, particularly for their colours and subject matter.
My favourite of all Arnatt’s series is Pictures from a Rubbish Tip [above]. The images in this series are of discarded food that Arnatt found in a rubbish tip. The bright colours, plastic backgrounds and fixed distance between the camera and the subject in each photo creates a strong cohesion throughout the series. I love the textures and vibrant colours of these photos and of course the fact that Arnatt has chosen such an unattractive subject matter and made it so interesting to look at is why I’m such a fan of this particular series of work.
Arnatt used only daylight when shooting the images, which is what I’ve also been doing so far. This means the images are not overly dramatised, but rather beautiful and visually appealing. Some would agree that Arnatt’s images also show his interest in 17th century Dutch painting with his chosen subjects such as food.
I also really like Arnatt’s photos of Objects from a Rubbish Tip [below]. It’s interesting to me that these objects once belonged to someone, perhaps holding sentimental value.
Perhaps it would be interesting to try photographing rubbish or food and see what outcome this brings? Or I could photograph things more close-up, so that it’s not immediately obvious to the viewer what they are looking at. Either way, I would like to continue with my research and find more inspiration as I move forward with my project.
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