Photographer Gabriel Orozco’s camera works as well with sheer providence as it does with the touch of his finger. In an exhibit of his work at the Hirshhorn Museum, his photos are both contemplative and creative, resting on the line between found and contrived. Some seem stumbled upon, while others are absurd set-ups. Orozco’s images are characterized by restraint and marked by ambiguity.
The exhibit consists of nature photos juxtaposed with mind-teasers. Along the same lines, some of his simpler images are deceptive and almost trompe d’oeil in nature, such as the photo of a ball-or a pearl? the moon?-resting gently on a pool of water.
Orozco plays on the adult sensitivity to quirky childish games. In his photo of five potatoes set atop five stacks of school notebooks on a grocery store shelf, he challenges our need to make sense of everything we see. In this and other photos, the games Orozco plays tie back into the inquisitive side of his images.
Orozco features humans in his work only through metaphors and shadows, referring to humans through their absence rather than their form. Nearly every photo in the exhibit contains a reference to people, however subtle, but few include an actual human figure, as in his image of the condensation left by breath on the jet black painted wood of a piano. The photos use insinuation to express humanity: foggy breath imposed onto the crisp lines of the piano. Orozco thus molds a photographic style characterized by its humanity, but never self-conscious. His photos are all pervaded by something akin to a life-force.
Born in Mexico, Gabriel Orozco’s varied repertoire includes sculptures, installations, drawings, photographs and videos. His varied mediums have been the subject of one-person exhibitions worldwide. This exhibit at the Hirshhorn consists of 11×17 images cased in simple blonde wood frames that line two rooms and a small hallway. The information pamphlet at the door of the exhibit is a must-read, as it explains the context of the most intriguing photos. Don’t expect it to give any easy answers, though, as Orozco thrives on the pensive nature of his photos.
The beauty of Orozco’s spiritually simplistic images lies in that, rather than futilely attempting comprehension, viewers can only take in and enjoy both the aesthetic and philosophy of Orozco’s photos. Although photography is neither his only medium nor his favorite, his photos quite literally gleam with an introspection that is never contrived.
It is ironic, then, that Orozco’s work succeeds in large part by giving the viewer of his art a clear image of the artist. Orozco expresses nuanced ideas through his images and, while viewers leave with little understanding of the photos, the artist himself feels familiar.
Gabriel Orozco: Extension of Reflection runs at the Hirshhorn Museum through Sept. 6. The Hirshhorn is located in downtown D.C. on the National Mall. For more information, visit www.hirshhorn.org.
