distorting-mirror-Paris-2015

‘Les Absents’: A Book By Maxime Ballesteros

Scroll
Words

The photography of Maxime Ballesteros sits somewhere on the borders of reality, fantasy and nightmares. At the beginning of July 2017, Ballesteros collated a selection of his images and writing in a book entitled ‘Les Absents’, presenting a curated view of his artistic endeavours.

It’s a challenge to determine which of Ballesteros’s images are candid and which are contrived. As a consequence, observing his work often feels like attempting to pass a test. Ballesteros continually undermines our perception of reality in his high-energy, full-flash photography, simultaneously leaving everything and nothing to the imagination. He takes as his subjects half-naked figures, interactions in quieter corners of wild parties and objects laid out reminiscent of still-life paintings, exhibiting imagery steeped in symbolism, fulfilling classical merits of what makes an image but shifted to a contemporary setting. Never just a bystander to his encounters, Ballesteros is hidden from the frame but a definite presence extended through the shot, as his subjects can be seen to perform for him and sit tight in contorted positions. Through this, Ballesteros reveals an omniscient point of view–an ‘all seeing, all knowing’ eye into a world that, through photography, he invites us to get a glimpse of.

iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_33
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_18
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_51
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_50
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_2
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_49
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_1
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_21
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_41
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_29
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_45
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_47
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_48
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_19
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_10
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_23
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_17
iGNANT_Photography_Maxime_Ballesteros_Les_Absents_14

All images © Maxime Ballesteros

IGNANT SHOP

SCENT by AOIRO x Ignant

BUY NOW
Aoiro_Ignant_Scent_Banner
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
SIGN UP