As Remembered
As Remembered
A Bubble Rests on the Grass, 30" x 40" Inkjet Print, 2006
A Disco Ball on the Mountaintop, 30x40 Inkjet Print, 2005
Adam Ekberg's images are somewhat oxymoronic in their conveyance of physical and kinetic energy. On one hand, they evoke an event that has just happened or perhaps that will happen in the immediate future, enabling a sense of movement and activity. At the same time, they display an incredible amount of stillness – both in the environments in which he shoots, and in the immediate way that he captures these silent, small moments. The outcome are images with tremendous physical tension.
In “A splash in the middle of the ocean,” Ekberg captures the moment of a splash directly after a rock has hit the surface of the water. It is a small moment of disturbance – a small fraction of energy in the midst of a wide expanse of still blue water.
Another image, “A smoke ring levitates in my apartment,” is taken in the corner of an older, somewhat bare home with only a lamp and a radiator. The smoke ring slowly meanders across the room and is captured halfway through its journey, soon to smash into the radiator and dissipate forever.
Often, these images refer to an off-camera protagonist: Who blew the bubbles? Who lit the sparkler? Who laid in the grass? The ambiguity behind this figure inspires viewers to inject themselves into the images, imagining their story about the pictures.
Adam Ekberg received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006 and has exhibited widely in the Chicago area. He has also held teaching positions at colleges and arts centers throughout Chicago, including the University of Illinois at Chicago and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work is part of the permanent collection of The Cleveland Clinic and of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Contemporary Photography. For more information about Adam Ekberg, see his Web site at http://adamekberg.com.
Click on any of the images pictured here to load a larger version.
A Smoke Ring Levitates in My Apartment
30" x 40" Inkjet Print, 2006
A Balloon Levitates Over an Empty Field
40" x 50" Inkjet Print, 2005
A Bottle Rocket in an Empty Field
40" x 50" Inkjet Print, 2005
A Sparkler in the Middle of a Frozen Lake
30" x 40" Inkjet Print, 2006
A Splash in the Middle of the Ocean
40" x 50" Inkjet Print, 2005
A Triangulation of Bubbles in the Woods
40" x 50" Inkjet Print, 2006
An Impression of My Body in a Field
30" x 40" Inkjet Print, 2006
