It has been 100 years since French writer André Breton (1896- 1966) published the Surrealist Manifesto, which defined a new art movement devoted to the unconscious, uncanny and unconventional. Its impact on visual culture cannot be understated, and its tropes continue to be used in mainstream media: TV, film, music video and games. The word “surreal” is a firm part of everyday vernacular, and it’s hard to imagine an art world without it. The earliest proponents of surrealist photography were Claude Cahun, Dora Maar, Lee Miller and Man Ray, who played with techniques like photomontage, repetition, disembodiment and anonymisation. Today, we’re seeing a new generation of creatives take up the helm: Aïda Muluneh, Erik Johansson, Sandy Skoglund and Viviane Sassen are continuing their legacy.
Honey Long (b. 1993) and Prue Stent (b. 1993) are ones-to-watch in this space. Since 2010, the Melbourne-based duo has developed a multidisciplinary practice where their bodies are conduits for expressing the complex relationship between femininity and the natural world. For example, Nasturtium II (2014) presents a lone figure hidden by a sea of leaves. We see only the subject’s arms, concealing her face from the viewer. Elsewhere, in Amoeba Phase II (2015), two fabric-clad figures stretch a sky- blue material taut, pulling in opposite directions. Ambiguous, dreamlike and sensual, these images defy simple interpretation. Body Heat is Long and Stent’s latest collection, aptly coinciding with the centenary of Surrealism. The exhibition reframes everyday sights by zooming in on unusual colours and textures.
Arc One Gallery, Melbourne | Until 1 February
Image Credits:
1. Honey Long & Prue Stent, Nasturtium II, (2014). Archival pigment print, 159 x 106 cm. Courtesy of Arc One.
2. Honey Long & Prue Stent, Tip trace, (2024). Courtesy of Arc One.
3. Honey Long & Prue Stent, Water Chamber, (2024). Courtesy of Arc One.
