Political Abstraction

Political Abstraction is the name of a series of color and black-and-white photographic diptychs by acclaimed fine art photographer Ralph Gibson. In these works, the viewer experiences several simultaneous visual motions dealing with the migration of color and shape across seemingly simple imagery. The series is born out of a response to the search for visual identity in a digital age. Gibson has devoted his pursuit to the idea that the viewer of the work is the actual subject of the piece itself. Thus, the photographs are relative but not restricted to the intention of the subject or the photographer. These works have been made during travels in eight countries, yet they remain remarkably unified in their perception. In this way, Gibson's visual signature remains intact throughout the entire series.