Simon Menner

Today's artist is photographer Simon Menner. I came across his work on the Museum of Contemporary Photography's web site under a new show about city life that is currently being exhibited. I enjoyed the photos that he had in the show but after visiting his website I found others that really stood out to me. One series in particular titled "The Ends Are Near" struck me in a very powerful way. Since he is a German born, mainly German speaking artist, most all of the sites that I looked for about him including his own were in German. But his work in my opinion is so accessible and focused that I felt like I didn't even need a description to understand what was going on. The simple title is enough to guide your thoughts and apply that title to each print in the series.





At first glance the photos may not have all too much in common on a content basis. But a closer look reviles that thoughts of a changing world, most likely not for the best, is being presented. A research lab, a giant food storage warehouse, a sectioned off nature preserve and an oil refinery create an almost disturbing look at the world that we currently live in. The exact same vanishing point perspective in each shot that ends at a visible point is suggestive of the title of the body of work. Menner's style of working is something that has always interested me and I tend to use it often. The idea of taking a concept, in this case spaces that imply our demise, and searching for similar examples to support that concept is used to great affect here. While each photo could stand on it's own i feel that viewing them all at once strengthens the idea and makes it a more accessible successful piece.