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Henry Bateman

The Abstract Photography of Henry Bateman

As the advent of photography encouraged painting to explore new avenues of expression, so the digital darkroom has broadened photography’s horizons. Taking advantage of this new technology Bateman’s photographs explore the abstract qualities of the structure of the digital photograph.

Each of his works is made from a single photograph in which the surface appearance has been abandoned and the basic building blocks of the digital structure, the pixel, has been explored. Once identified, various filters are used to enhance the elements of color, line and form to give them a life of their own. The result is a new image that stands or falls on its own intrinsic aesthetic qualities.

Although happy accidents do occur from time to time, the most consistent results come from paying attention to the picturing taking process. Light and how it plays on particular surfaces is paramount followed closely by identifying abstract 2 dimensional compositions in a 3 dimensional world. Even when mindful of these principles, 9 out of 10 photos taken become random colored blobs when worked up on the computer. But when they work, then images that ignite the imagination appear. Like abstract paintings, these photographs extend beyond the limitations of the representational.

Bateman is an Australian expatriate living in the Philippines. He has been making art for over 3 decades and his work is in public and private collections in Australia and private collections in the USA, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Korea and New Zealand.

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