Giraffe and Owl 2015

Elina Brotherus made this photograph, Giraffe and Owl, sometime after 1972. It's like a stage set in a kitchen with a white countertop and cabinets, all a bit drab. The figures wear these kinda sad animal masks. The mood here is set by the flatness of the image, and by the unblinking stare of the owl. It feels like a painting where the marks and colors are all evenly distributed – a process of covering the surface. The masks are so blunt and direct, they create a sense of alienation, but also maybe humor. They are like props. The funny thing is how these masks – these characters – are placed in this banal domestic setting, turning the ordinary into something strange. It makes me think of other artists who play with the theatrical like Cindy Sherman, or Laurie Simmons, creating these little psychodramas that are both funny and unsettling. It's all about making the familiar feel weird and seeing things in a new light.