The Power Of Balance By Valentin Fougeray

For the series, Valentin looked at the tension inherent to balance; “The aesthetic presence of this work tends to create a substantial tension casting doubt on the reality of the images,” he explains. “Yet, everything here is real.” The series comprises of a series of experimental constructions built by Valentin, from plastic lattice casting a soft shadow against a monochromatic wall, to soft pink bubble-wrap forming strong, architectural lines as it folds to a pyramidal form. The photographs look as if they are the results of clever digital manipulation, their soft but saturated colors accentuating this ambiguity.  The objects and settings were derived from a quest for balance between the real and unreal; “A balance,” Valentin explains, “that binds space, color, composition, and assembly of matters and materials.”