“Re-use is fundamental to my process,” says Daniel Gordon, a 33-year-old photographer. “I cull photographic images from the internet, print these images, and assemble them into three-dimensional tableaux using scissors and glue. I then photograph these arrangements with an 8×10-inch view camera. After the photograph is taken, the sculptures are dismantled and the different pieces are set aside for use in future works. With this manual cut-and-paste technique, I am building forms that expand upon the rich history of photography, collage and appropriation, while also nodding to the tradition of the painted portrait and still life.”
[bjp_ad_slot]Gordon’s work, featured in BJP in February 2012, won the plaudits of this year’s Foam Paul Huf Award jury, which unanimously selected the US photographer. “Coming from a generation that is comfortable using pictures from the internet, Gordon finds a unique way of reconstructing found imagery into three-dimensional collages, which he then photographs,” says the jury, which included, among others, Christopher McCall of Pier 24 gallery in San Francisco, and Kathy Ryan of The New York Times Magazine. “We are delighted to recognise this highly original and colourful work. He thoroughly deserves his place in the company of former Foam Paul Huf Award winners.”
Gordon will receive €20,000 and will take part in a residency at Foam in Amsterdam. “It’s wonderful to have my work appreciated, and to feel I am a part of a larger conversation about photography,” Gordon tells BJP. “The generous financial prize will give me freedom and more time to spend making pictures – so, what can I say, I’m thrilled!”
Aron Morel Books published Gordon’s images last year in the monograph Still Lifes, Portraits & Parts. “When I first saw Daniel’s work it stood out for all the obvious reasons,” says publisher Aron Morel, “from the stunning aesthetic and graphic quality and references to classical still lifes, down to the tangled world of using found digital images in 3D tableaux and re-photographing them. It was good to see the book being used as part of the decision-making process.”