The Vicarious Dreaminess of Gabriel Isak’s Photography
If you feel that you are peeking into somebody else’s dreams when looking at Swedish photographer Gabriel Isak’s work then your instincts are spot on. Isak’s hypnotic, cryptic photographs are inspired by the inner world of dreams. Often featuring solitary figures whose faces are obscured, they depict surreal, hallucinatory scenes full of melancholy, apprehension and bewilderment in an attempt to lyrically convey the gist of human experience. Drawing from his own subconscious, Isak invites viewers to project their own deep-seated fears and desires onto the enigmatical scenarios he has soulfully recreated. Channeling the surrealist art of René Magritte, the photographs tap into our unconscious states initiating a process of soul searching and dream interpretation. Yatzer recently caught up with Isak to talk about his dreamlike work, his ‘psychoanalytical’ approach to photography, and his affinity for the colour blue.
