“Ginungagap in the Sun”

Review:                “Ginungagap in the Sun” - Elisabeth Ajtay

                              Still Lights Gallery, SFAI 03/2012

                              By Christina Elliott

Faces of suspended tension and ethereal ellipses comprise the elements of Lisa Ajtay’s latest photographic series “Ginungagap in the Sun.” Similar to Munch’s The Scream, figures seen in Ajtay’s piece are frozen in a sense of panic, perhaps due to an inability to reach full actualization. The fact that these expressions were captured while the models were yawning adds yet another dimension to this piece. These images seem to capture the unseen angst and trepidation subconsciously written into the mundane act of a simple yawn. In fractions of a second, inner struggle against the plight of humanity and the search for truth is captured by the lense. The faces seem to stretch and howl towards the moon, like a lone wolf in the night, the black background and dramatic lighting emphasizing these features. The circular form of tensely stretched lips is echoed in the shape of the moon. It is as if the physical limitations of the mouth cannot fully express the force of trapped emotion; correspondingly the light of the moon sometimes breaches its borders. The hazy edges create a place for this frustration to escape, while in other instances crisp detail provides a guiding clarity.

 

“Ginungagap in the Sun”

Elisabeth Ajtay

Artist Statement

This work began in 2008. This work visualizes the archaic force of expressions, the uncontrolled moment, the instinct of human being, and the art of letting go. On a second level, pictures of a very animalistic power of expression arise.  It is the scream that interests me. Here I relate to Munch, of course, but also Francis Bacon’s paintings have inspired me. I have chosen “Rembrandt” lighting (known in photography), to create a heavy atmosphere. The title of my work “Ginungagap” derives from the oldest known german language. Today we find it in the german words “Gähnen” and “Beginnen”, or in the english word “Begin”.

The series is a statement on society.  It expresses a strong will to make a change, but not having the power. There is freedom of speech, but who can hear you screaming, when everyone is screaming as well? We are totally overburdened by the possibilities given to us. The Western society is a never ending haunt for better, faster, more. Stop if you can.

By adding the moon, I embed the rhythm of nature into this work. Nature is not within us, but merely a zone of scientific research. Where’s my body? The rhythm of my heart? The rhythm of life? In Oct. 2011 I took the first picture of the full moon. The series will continue every month until Oct. 2012 when it will be complete. The moon as the “night sun”, the light reflected. The light which we do not see in the darkness and about which we do not care. (I mean how many people do realize the full moon?) By darkness I also mean the darkness of our consciousness. The lost pulsation of the physicality of our being and our surroundings. Shopping is the new rhythm of life. I mean to express the instinct of the haunting and haunted.