FAMILY WELDING 2016

Babak-Matveev’s digital image ‘Family Welding’ from 2014, is like a stage set, all bold colours and strange, almost Fauvist landscaping. The figures, frozen in an act of violence, are set against a backdrop of improbable hues, so artificial, almost childlike, in its execution, as though the entire image were composed from construction paper. The oddness is captivating. See how the stark digital manipulation flattens the image, creating an almost tangible texture? I’m drawn to the way the bright, saturated colors clash, heightening the sense of tension and unreality. The pinks, greens and yellows vibrate against each other. It reminds me a little of David Hockney's early photo collages, where the combination of different views created an uncanny sense of space, but with something sinister added. That edge is where the image really takes hold. The real welding that matters is the sparks that ignite in the viewer's mind, forever connecting art and life in unpredictable ways.