Bullet #11 2014

Lalla Essaydi made this photograph, Bullet #11, and it’s interesting to think of photography, like painting, as a kind of construction. The first thing that strikes me is the surface of the image: a kind of shimmering mosaic. Look closer, and you see it's made of bullet casings! It's a visual feast, this layering of pattern and texture. The bullets create this incredible tension between beauty and violence, almost like an unbelievable kind of surface. Essaydi contrasts this with the softness and vulnerability of the figures. Look at the woman on the right, how the light catches on her skin. This creates this incredible sense of intimacy. You're drawn to this almost tangible quality. It reminds me a little of the compositions of someone like Matisse, but completely flipped on its head! In this picture, Essaydi is taking all these different influences and turning them into something new. It’s this kind of open-ended dialogue that makes art so exciting.