Matt Eich
Virginia
Artist Statement Submitted 2014
These photographs are about the decline of a superpower, and a shift to something less absolute.Photography is the double-edged sword of work and self-expression, and I turn to the camera compulsively to quiet the cacophony and peel away moments of emotional resonance or beauty from the chaos. It allows me to question my place in the world, and also the direction that my country is headed.
The photographs I seek to make cannot be pre-visualized; they must be sought out, stumbled upon, and allowed to take the shape that most poetically describes our condition.
At best, these images constitute a thought that is still forming, one that I have not yet found the words for. This begins what I plan to continue with my work: an exploration of the American imperatives such as consumerism, patriotism, religion, work, leisure and self-interest. Through this I am questioning the cost of our freedom.
