Lewis Forquer

Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts; July 3 – August 29

Lewis’ photos are creepy.  Creepy in a good way.  There is something that is off in them, but that’s what makes them so good.  They depict places that give the feeling that something bad is going to happen any second – or has just happened.  But the who and what of the drama is for your own mind to provide.  The scenes have a silence and stillness about them with their absence of human presence that gives them a heightened sense of anxiety, never of peace.

Talking to Lewis as he was installing his show I got the impression that he knows full well just how creepy they are, but not exactly what makes them creepy.  His explanation of the imperfections of the meticulously made fragile models he creates is one aspect.  His reverence of Film Noir and it’s use of light, dark and shadows is another.  But they don’t seem to address the true source of the unsettling nature of the images.  There is something that makes me think that he just doesn’t know why they are so disturbing.  To me this is the strength of them.  If he knew exactly what makes them tick I believe they would start to become contrived and stiff and therefore unconvincing.  They would lose their power and life.

With that said, Lewis does take some of the power out of his own images by the simple fact that he has included some of the models in that show that he has created for his photographic sets. Sure, they are fun to look at, but they demystify the images.  It’s like the magician has told all of his secrets.  It’s a case of TMI (too much information).  My mind switched from creating dramas to inhabit the spaces of his photographs to contemplating his obsession with creating the tiny models.  I appreciate them and their keys to understanding his creative process, but frankly, I’d rather read about the process and let my mind fill in the blanks so my mind can continue to create dramas, each more disturbing than the rest.  Part of the joy of experiencing the photographs on their own is that they ask the viewer to be an active participant.  This is far more powerful than telling me its secrets.