ART FEED: Benjamin Løzninger’s Smoke//Fire

by | May 23, 2013 | ART

Benjamin Løzninger is quite the renaissance man–the French-born artist, who currently resides in Brooklyn, also makes music, directs videos, and works as a sound engineer, among many other things.

Benjamin Løzninger is quite the renaissance man–the French-born artist, who currently resides in Brooklyn, also makes music, directs videos, and works as a sound engineer, among many other things. He helped launch Super!, a Parisian musical talent agency that helped produce 2012’s Pitchfork Paris festival. When he’s not touring in support of his music (his latest release is the 2011 album Moving Targets), he works with FrenchBK, a creative collective he founded that’s named after his status as a transatlantic expatriate.

And somewhere in there, Løzninger also finds time to take artistic photographs. His latest project is entitled Smoke//Fire, and features painted and/or digitally treated photographs of Brooklyn cityscapes, to which Løzninger has added the black smoke of nearby flames. It seems a subtle comment on the times of economic and political uncertainty we live in… but really, the presence of allegory is up to the viewer to determine. Løzninger’s fiery scenes are not actively frightening, but evoke the trembling sense of disquiet one can feel when catching a scene of immense devastation out of the corner of your eye as you go about your daily routine.

A burning city. Thick smoke clouds fill the air with an intense smell. History always repeats itself: as at Nero’s times, a devastating fire run through the streets, through the buildings, threatening people’s life. Was it an arson or just an accident? The Smoke // Fire series is speaking about self-introspection through the discovery a new city, experimenting mystery, fascination, repulsion and sometimes fear.

Explore all facets of Benjamin Løzninger’s work at the following links:

Home


http://www.lozninger.com
http://www.elektriskgonner.com
http://www.frenchbk.com

Marilyn Drew Necci

Marilyn Drew Necci

Former GayRVA editor-in-chief, RVA Magazine editor for print and web. Anxiety expert, proud trans woman, happily married.




more in art

The Devils in the Digger Details: Cinema, Censorship, and Power

"The Devils is a harsh film but it's a harsh subject. I wish the people who were horrified and appalled by it would have read the book, because the bare facts are far more horrible than anything in the film." - Ken Russell from An Appalling Talent: Ken Russell by John...

Finding A Light at Maymont’s Garden Glow

Editor's Note: This essay includes a personal account of a mental health crisis. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, support is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. Richmond-area...

Review | Grace and Glorie is So Good You Forget it’s Acting

Yes, this is a review of the play Grace and Glorie, currently at Hanover Tavern. It is the Hanover Tavern part of that sentence that I want to focus on first. I’m probably going to get some side-eye for this, but I completely forgot Hanover Tavern existed. What in the...

Review | BLKS is a Mixed Bag at Richmond Triangle Players

I often come off like a chihuahua on sugar pills when reviewing plays for this magazine. I am excitable, yes, but never in the service of idle flattery. I also take no joy in being critical of people’s hard work. I’ve said this whole thing before several times, but I...

Review | Dog Mom is Theatre at Its Best, Here or Anywhere Else

There are days of doing this when I just get to gush. Today is one of those days.  I have had the pleasure this past year of witnessing some of the best theatre of my life. VA Rep’s Primary Trust floored me. Richmond Shakespeare continued their epic run of hits...

Studio Two Three Is Beefing With Bots. Among Other Things

Studio Two Three has been around long enough to forget how likely it was to fail. Sixteen years ago, a small group of friends wanted to keep making art in Richmond. They pooled money from working in local restaurants to pay rent, borrowed equipment and built an...

Topics: