Alex Kisilevich – Vanishing Into Thin Hair

Posted by Fabio 19 November 2013

Photography can often be illusion aspiring to the level of the mythical. Alex Kisilevich attempts to dissemble those notions, not by belittling the illusory, but by using the falseness of the studio to play on the tropes of studio photography. Kisilevich’s photographs divulge the constituent parts and backdrops of the photograph. The image consists of both the illusion and also the construction of the trickery. Much like a magician who shows how the trick is done while showing us the trick, Kisilevich let’s the cat out of the bag or – to stay metaphorically consistent – the rabbit out of the hat. That sounds risky for an artist, but Kisilevich is a consummate creator and showing the secret is not all he has up his sleeve. The imagery grows more expansive and evocative with the inclusion of the composites. He is safe in showing us the tricks, because that’s the fun bit. Not to hide behind the illusion, but to unveil the whole reason we love magic and these photographs are magic.

Alex Kisilevich
Vanishing Into Thin Hair
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
September 21 – December 29, 2013