Poignant Pics no. 38 - On Lara Gilks' "Silent"
Welcome to no. 38 in our series Poignant Pics where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about Lara Gilks’ elegant photograph, “Silent.”
What’s Spoken by the Silence…
“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
–Peter Adams
Silent
I don't know Peter Adams' work, so I can't say if it reflects his quote accurately. But for me, his quote encompasses everything I love about photography. Continuing in the vein from last week's article, I love work that makes me FEEL, and I don't believe it is possible to do this without the photographer bringing their own emotions to their work. Lara Gilks’ photography definitely makes me feel, often in a disquieted manner.
I've known Gilks’ work for many years, since we both were in a course given by Laura Valenti. Her imagery has always been sensitive, and to me, intriguing. Much of it I've seen takes place at the edge of the water or in a seemingly isolated location, or both. At some point in the last two years, she moved the image-making into the water. A group of images emerged, all with a young woman in an ivory sheath, most consisting of pictures without a face. These images stuck with me. I keep going back to look at them.
I particularly love this image, Silent. It’s enigmatic and elegant. Since I can't see the woman’s face, I depend on the clues given via subdued tones and her gesture. She presents in beauty and stillness, but there is a tension….is this tranquility or the peace of eternal sleep? It's that dichotomy that has brought me back to look at this group of images again and again.
Of this image, Lara told me, "This work explores the pursuit of peace and tranquillity. The subject is still and silent, in control – she is not a victim. She floats in her own time – in the beauty and stillness that only water brings. It is part of an ongoing project looking at the themes of life and mortality, chaos and calm, beauty and tragedy."
Bravo, Lara. Keep these coming! I look forward to seeing more of this evolving body of images.
Artist Bio
Lara Gilks is a photographer based in Wellington, NZ. She came to photography about fifteen years ago when she was given her first camera and hasn’t looked back.
She has received multiple awards for her work including a finalist at the Lucie Foundation Portrait Awards 2021, first place in Nude and Figure category at the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards 2021 and 2020 and winner of Australasia’s Top Emerging Portrait Photographer for 2018.
Gilks’ work has been exhibited widely since 2015. In 2021 she has exhibited in group shows in Barcelona Spain, Budapest Hungary, Rome Italy, Texas and Minneapolis USA and New Zealand.
See more of Lara’s work here.
Author Bio
Diana Nicholette Jeon is an award-winning artist based in Honolulu, HI, who works primarily with lens-based media. Her work has been seen both internationally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions. Jeon holds an MFA from UMBC.