Passage (2014)
In her work, Lucie Stahl uses a flatbed scanner to create large-scale images of a variety of objects, such as food, magazine clippings, and parts of the human body. The images are then printed and coated in resin to produce a sleek, polished veneer, which emphasizes the materiality of the photographic image that is oftentimes neglected in service of the contents within the frame.
Passage is a particularly significant work with respect to Stahl’s creative process, as it captures an Egyptian stone sarcophagus in which mummies were placed. Positioned sideways, the reflection of the sarcophagus is intricately reproduced on the picture plane, as if to confound the spectator’s understanding of the exact scale and placement of the object. The background that surrounds the sarcophagus supplies a subtle gradation of dark crimson rather than a real-world setting to further heighten the timeless quality of the image. As Stahl’s material intervention suggests an interest in embalming and preservation, Passage is a work in which form and content are merged to produce an arresting work of art.
