University of Alberta Museums Search

Ryoji Ikeda is known for the sense of mystery in his photographs. The viewer is allowed only a glimpse into an interior which they can never fully identify. He composes the elements within the print which despite being constructed appear realistic and authentic to the viewer. His monochromes remove sections of a scene which is filled with solitary props. Light, perspective, darkness and formal emphasis on ink and material leaves the viewer with a sense of loneliness, decay, and a haunting ambiguity. This series was taken in Bernd Hildebrandt's of the Museums and Collections Department cabin on Obed Lake.