Australian-born photographer and art curator Graham Howe has just revealed his photographic works –entitled “Colour Theory” – at Rooftop Gallery in Bangkok. The collection of highly saturated photos were created by the use of tri-color studio lights projecting primary colors red, blue and green, which then recombined into secondary colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan and white.
What’s surprising is the fact that each of the photos was taken 30 years ago – before Photoshop existed! Although the film was later drum scanned and the images perfectly corrected in Photoshop, no montage or college techniques are used. They are all straight photographs, explains Graham.
The work “Pubis” (1984) is one photograph is Graham’s “Colour Theory” that stands out from the rest because of its lack of saturated colors and the presence of a naked model with very unusual pubic hair. The hairs grow in every direction, with some strands reaching for the sky. The artist admits, “It was her hair that inspired the picture.”
In terms of how it fits in as part of the “Colour Theory” series, Graham explains that yellow and cyan lights were cross-projected on the model, who lies on a white sheet of paper on the wooden floor. The rest of the room is lit in ambient daylight.
“The film sees the wooden floor as more or less natural but the body under the lights appears to float in space, an illusion created by the precise use of colored light,” he says.
“Now the pubic hair, that also appears to levitate but that is just the particular kind of hair on the model”
“Colour Theory” will be on display at Rooftop Gallery, located between Thonglor 14 and Thonglor 16, from now until April 20, 1013.
