Adelaide-based photographer Joseph Häxan is an artist with a fascination for occult practices and devil worship. In his first solo exhibition at GAGPROJECTS, Häxan presents a series of photographs that instantly arrest and compel the viewer.
”The Rite of Spring’, a comprehensive exhibition comprising works from my Body Horror series, reveals a hyper-stylised version of the final moments of the earth. Using myself as my only model in the works, I choreograph scenes of debased human interaction and hysteria, lit by a sterile and punishing white light. It is my hope that the kind of fantasied omnipotence these works encourage could also evoke in their audience a kind of ‘Ozymandian Realisation’ when one recognises themselves among the bodies they see. In a related sense, the works also serve as manifestations of my acute anxiety surrounding my health and natural decline. My wish to be continually reborn and live forever through fame or supernatural means, and the inherent difficulty in accepting my insignificance. ‘The Rite of Spring’ makes reference to Igor Stravinsky’s orchestral composition of the same name, and its use in Walt Disney’s Fantasia, which depicts the processes of the young earth’s evolution and regeneration after catastrophic events.’ – Joseph Häxan
Majoring in photography at UniSA, Häxan has developed expertise in digital retouching. His images are featured in several global publications and more recently the artist has worked on creative projects in partnership with 20th Century Fox, American Horror Story and The Satanic Church in Salem, Massachusetts.
GAGPROJECTS | Greenaway Art Gallery
Until 24 November 2019
South Australia