Fresh out of university, Maxime Guyon continues to catch the art world off-guard with his dazzling techno-photographs. To the untrained viewer, they could easily be perceived as mere objects of passive contemplation, or even didactical. Guyon’s aesthetic musings document the evolution of new technologies and the way these can further the introduction of new habits and practices into art.
The discovery in his project “Technological Exaptation” encompasses the extent of Guyon’s ambitions and thoughts. In a lot of his works, his fascination for evolution is to be sensed. Often enriched by a commercial context, his personal work reads as a reflection on the evolution of technological functions, thusly opening up a conversation about the equally new functions of the photographic medium (astutely paralleled with the evolution of Guyon’s own practice).
These images take part in the spirited discussion previously ignited in previous works by the French photographer and go deeper into the analysis process – by taking technological appliances out of the context of their function, Guyon sheds light on the otherworldly shapes and colours populating our daily lives. This study targets as much high technology as standardised amenities, from Formula 1 engines and industrial robotics to vacuum cleaners and toothbrushes, for example. By stretching the unified aesthetics of these items, he is getting at the dullness of hyper-consumption. The goal is to push the very aestheticised style of hyper commercial imagery to generate a sense of accelerationism against these features constantly changing.
The gifted artist and commercial Photographer has observed that the democratisation of programs that were before only used by professionals, has tremendously contributed to the evolution of the image-making process. He stresses that the emergence of new technologies has “released the photographic medium of its initial function of representation”, has altered the definition of photograph to its core. We are now living in an era where photographic rendering are made more vibrant and freer than ever, “both in their format and realisation” says the ECAL alumni. Calling to mind the dramatic rise of the post-internet art, those permutations are affecting what it means to be a photographer. Slightly veering from its usual meaning, photography has lately been adorned with new colours by a new generation of artists/thinkers – Maxime Guyon is one of them. He will surely contribute to the renewal of our aesthetic expectations for quite some time.
Maxime Guyon 9558. From http://maximeguyon.com/technological_exaptation/
Maxime Guyon 1280. From http://maximeguyon.com/technological_exaptation/
Maxime Guyon 9598. From http://maximeguyon.com/technological_exaptation/
Maxime Guyon 9133. From http://maximeguyon.com/technological_exaptation/
For more information on Maxime Guyon please visit the artist’s website