Fran Forman - The Color of Absence

About

Cinematic storyteller and American artist Fran Forman constructs visual narratives that articulate the deep loneliness that characterise contemporary society. The staged compositions - from different photographs of objects, locations and people - lay bare the paradox of the digital age: separation despite global interconnectedness. Drawing on Hopper’s social realism, the familiar settings within the photographs isolate their subjects, who themselves are surrounded by an air of fragility. Trapped in their own fantasies, the companionship and kinship they long for is just out of reach. 

Each of the photographs is a separate story, immediately personal. Subjects placed in uncertain settings are as elusive as the shadows that surround them, absorbed in their interior lives. The geometric play of light and shadows in the empty spaces suggests stability, refuge and a solid foundation. Despite the allusion to warmth, the subjects grapple with longing and lost kinship. Forman offers hope for escape in the form of portals: a lit window, a mirror, a door left ajar. These ‘escape hatches’ lead the way to reconnecting and forging new relationships in the turmoil of our daily lives. 

Forman’s position as part of the baby boomer generation brings a rich understanding of socio-political changes in society to ‘The Color of Absence’. With a degree in sociology and several years spent working as a therapist, Fran Forman has developed an acute psychological sensitivity for the crises that have been steadily gaining ground in America since the 1960s. In her bleak settings, all generations feel the personal effects of growing societal polarisation. Remarkably, the artist readily implements new technological advancements into her practice, with AI as another tool in her inventory.

BBA Gallery discovered Forman through the 2022 BBA Artist Prize shortlist. ‘The Color of Absence’ marks her first solo exhibition in Berlin, Germany.