For me, making contrived images is but one of a two part creative process. REAL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY describes the other part
The art world is comfortable with contrived imagery. The finished contrived images contain evidence of what the artist knows, their dexterity, what they can do and what they chose to do. Using all those cues, it is simple to find something to assess in the work. The viewer feels included. An artist who is simply exploring new territory does not provide such easy evidence and the viewer who thinks that the art piece lives or dies on their praise or condemnation, can easily be left feeling alienated and irrelevant.
Imagination, creative and cultural cross referencing is integral in contrived images and it is often a binge fest of those qualities.
With this body of work I am prepared to go all out on these qualities, trumpets blaring.
That said, contrivance makes ones limitations plain to see. .
While contrived images provide narrative and make it easy on the viewer in many senses, it is not always so straightforward.
Images are often contrived to achieve non, or even anti-art ends. Propaganda, advertising try to be manipulative and are intended to channel or even suppress thought. This creates a tension and suspicion for viewers – especially in galleries/pure art spaces, where they feel as if they are meant to lower their defenses.
Surrealism is one way lightening that tension. Like a joke – it can imbue the work with furrowed brow purpose, and then it parodies the viewer from going along with it.
Photography represents visual things and CGI mostly lives or dies based on its ability to emulate them.
By default, CGI and photos (especially contrived ones) are assumed to have been created to serve some calculated purpose, other than art
Whereas I try to include Surreal elements in most of my contrived photography and CGI work to identify it as having been created as art, not to sell you snake oil, I am often prepared to go close to the bone and risk the viewer’s misunderstanding however.
Included in this category are images in the familiar object series. Still life images which are hyper real in their representation.
