Magical Realism Nihilism Pole, is, for Benoit Paillé (b. 1984) not only an image series, but a “revolutionary act” – demonstrating how photography doesn’t, in fact, capture reality, but is an active creator of reality. Here, photography is capable of elevating the most perceivably uninteresting object into something enticing, desirable and ultra-magnified. He notes: “It is play: a game for me. Instead of taking photos of a beautiful landscape, I will choose the pole time and again.” The “pole” – in Paillé’s methodology – is a placeholder for any banal object, from fences and hedges to street lamps, which he transforms through a phantasmic colour scheme. Bright, stark flashes render surreal interpretations of the landscape, which are both hyperreal and vividly idiosyncratic, seeking out the unexpected and the unseen. Paillé defines himself as an atypical artist and conscious agitator, living on the road in a camper van whilst shooting projects across the globe.
Image Credits:
1. Benoit Paillé, Untitled, Guatemala (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
2. Benoit Paillé, Tulum, Quintanaroo, Mexico (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
3. Benoit Paillé, Untitled, Guatemala (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
4. Benoit Paillé, Lightpole, Tuxtla, Chiapa, Mexico (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
5. Benoit Paillé, Landscape 1, Sanchristobal, chiapas, Mexico (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
6. Benoit Paillé, Always There Decor, Tuxtla, Chiapas (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
7. Benoit Paillé, Volcan sanpedro, Lago atitlan (2017). Courtesy of the artist.
8. Benoit Paillé, L’Abrutissement du faux. Courtesy of the artist.
9. Benoit Paillé, Untitled, Mexico (2016). Courtesy of the artist.
