Marlon Kowalski
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Work from Plates.
From what I can gather given the lack of contextual information on Kowalski’s Plates work, it is examining the nature of reproduction and photographic fidelity. The photograph, and photographed object hang side-by-side, now related to one another physically through the compelling referential reproduction and the existence of the “original”. This is the most important aspect of the work, we are presented with the photograph, and the photographed, thereby reinforcing notions of accurate mechanical reproduction (and the artist notes that his work is shot in film) that is a humorous and pointed nod to Benjamin on many levels. In this simple and pointed critique, the object becomes more precious than it was before, it is the object, the original, the impetus of the photograph.