Lemons 2007

Sharon Core made this photograph, titled 'Lemons,' using light-sensitive materials and highly skilled darkroom techniques. The image seduces us with its smooth surfaces, the waxy skins of the fruit and the cool sheen of the silverware. Everything is meticulously arranged and illuminated. But it's not just about the appearance. Core invites us to consider the labor and processes behind the image. The lemons, so carefully grown and transported, the basket, perhaps mass-produced, the silverware, suggestive of formal dining. While the composition evokes classical still life painting, the medium is photography, a technology deeply tied to mass production and consumption. Core's artistic choices are rooted in consumer culture and the way it affects our perception. By embracing photography, Core blurs the lines between art and commerce, inviting us to contemplate the relationship between creative skill, technology, and the everyday objects that surround us.