Martin Brent Guest graduated with an MA in Photography from Falmouth University in 2020.
He is a lens-based artist working with analogue and digital photography and technology, often recording what is unaltered, with an emphasis on light and shade and the interactions of natural and artificial light, but also what is not, using tableau techniques to achieve this.
He is currently investigating the notion of national identity, nation state and artificial borders by reorganising and reframing found scenes, geographically and sometimes chronologically, to create new places, sometimes with absurd juxtapositions.
Martin is inspired by the work of Jeff Wall, Gregory Crewdson, Andreas Gursky, William Eggleston and The New Topographics collective.
The Snow Trees 2009
The Snow Trees celebrate a man made moment over sixty years in its evolution but only being completed by the temporary covering of snow that lasted no more than 24 hours.
This was the silent moment just after the last flakes of had fallen.
Possibly planted as a commercial venture by long forgotten foresters the trees in their near perfect ranks await a harvest that never came.
The main composition represents choice, to the right a safe path into the light, an easy route that can easily be made but no discovery or mystery awaits, to the left the path is soon lost amongst the trees, their uniformity becoming confused, the path no longer clear, the light decreasing.
Each path has a guardian, a dominant force that prevents us moving forward until the options and possible consequences are considered the view ahead blocked, maybe a little risk is required just to leave where we now stand, this is where the artist leaves the viewer in the silence of the forest.
The artist has learned that in recent months, the forest portrayed here has tragically been felled, thus this image represents an historic document and truly unrepeatable moment. Only five of these panoramas will ever exist in this form, Â one will be retained by the artist, two are sold and within collections, one of the them belonging to the drummer of a very well known British rock band.
Miami Pastels
To honour the buildings as they once were, Martin incorporates indicators of contemporary life in his photographs of Miami South Beach’s Art Deco district.
The images are the artist’s reaction to seeing the buildings as individual survivors of the era, Brent was saddened to find the district run down and cracking at the edges with Miami’s changing reputation, these buildings memorialise a bygone era. The district contains 950 historic buildings in the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern style.
The distinct pastel colours are emphasised by the artist, giving the works a timeless quality and the feel of Art Deco illustrations and publications of the time.
Exhibition closes: Saturday 18 October 5.00pm
Image: Martyn Brent Guest GRBSA, The Snow Trees
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm
