Summer Magic

Minimalism is an American visual art movement during the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of representing an aspect of the real world (a landscape, a person, or an animal) or reflecting an experience, minimalist arts celebrate what is in front of us: colors, lines, and shapes. Inspired by Anne Truitt, Dan Flavin, and Ellsworth Kelly’s minimalist artworks, I want to create images with sharp edges, playful colors, and arbitrary composition.

The idea of food photography came to my mind. We often relate food photography with commercials instead of fine arts. My challenge was to demonstrate the beauty of familiar and exotic fruits with colorful backdrops and interesting compositions. I brought different fruits and colorful plastic boards into a lighting studio. Analogous colors and matching colors play an important role in the series.

Summer Magic can be categorized into three sub-series. In the first series, the matching colors for Korean melon, dragon fruit, and starfruit have chemistry with a white background. In the second series, the bright white background emphasizes the simple and beautiful lines and shapes of the watermelon. In the third series, I used analogous colors, yellow and green. The effect of a green banana on the yellow backdrop and a yellow banana on the green backdrop is aesthetically appealing. Hope you enjoy Summer Magic.