Indiana-based artist Matt Isaac adapts the expressive possibilities of photography to his thematic concerns. He represents scenes, objects or people with a detail-oriented eye, revealing his personal stake in the image. Still in his mid-twenties, he has over a decade of experience in photography and it shows. His refinement of development processes is striking, and it's initially hard to believe no digital alterations have occurred.
Isaac foregrounds certain features by setting crisp areas bursting with color against muted backgrounds, presenting some spaces in sharp focus and others blurred, or evoking large figures by highlighting some revealing detail. This predilection for personal expression is among Isaac's principle themes: he strives to portray and encourage individualism and the poetics of everyday life. Thus, many photographs feature a natural pattern or recurring motif as a setting, with a single figure, shape or object standing out confidently. Isaac thereby dramatizes his pursuit for personal development. Through this vision, he makes mechanically-captured images fundamentally personal and visually organic.
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