Manus

A few years ago, I embarked on a photography project called "I Have Not Photographed Everything Yet, But It Is on My List." In this work, I captured moments when visitors in art galleries engaged with artwork by snapping pictures with their smartphones. Finally, I juxtaposed these images with quotes from Susan Sontag’s essays, collected in her 1977 book “On Photography,” to see whether those thoughts still hold in the world of Instagram.

As I considered the next step, I contrasted these smartphone users with those who set aside distractions to fully immerse themselves in the visual experience. However, I found the plant comparison between viewers with cameras and without cameras rather uninspired.

Instead, I chose to concentrate on a simple gesture that signifies a genuine focus on the artwork: folding one’s hands behind the back. I believe that this gesture of folded hands symbolizes a person's essence and engagement with the artwork. You can say that the folded hands are the picture's function, capturing the whole person.

Manus 1

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Manus VIII