In collaboration with LOOK/13, Open Eye Gallery presents the work of Eva Stenram and Charles Fréger. Both exhibitions are institutional premieres in the UK. Through their work, Stenram and Fréger reflect on how identity is constructed, embraced and performed for the benefit of the viewer in front of a camera. Looking at the way we define ourselves in relation to the other, the artists highlight the friction or tension that exist between the self and its representation.

Eva Stenram (b.1976) uses found images, such as the negatives of pin-up shoots and thumbed centrefolds taken from old magazines, as her source of inspiration and working material. These are scanned and imported to digital files that Stenram manipulates, reinterpreting each image anew. In this series, the background − the drapes that give the show its title – takes centre stage. Once the backdrop falls in front of the model (refusing access to this objectified body), the viewer becomes aware of his voyeuristic desire and erotic impulses. By questioning the paradigms and hierarchical values of studio photography, the artist confers to this imagery an altogether new meaning.

Charles Fréger exhibition