Oasis

Name/Title

Oasis

Entry/Object ID

2008.07.01

Description

Alain Paiement (b. 1960, Montreal, Quebec) is a contemporary photographer whose practice looks at themes related to time, geography, topography, and architecture. Over his career, Paiement has focused on capturing small samples of the world through the macro and telescopic lenses of his camera The artist’s take on photography can be considered a form of photographic installation that both stages the subjects focus and the environment constructed in the image. Oasis (2008) establishes a strange bird's-eye point of view of what appears to be a sandy landscape dotted with vegetation, dead plants, and other detritus. Captured in composition are small sand sculptures that the artist's daughter made during a vacation as well as elements of the surrounding nature. Like many of his photographs, the image is composed of a series of photographs taken at different angles that have been stitched together. Paiement turns the small assemblages into large structures that shape the entire landscape. In doing so, the artist illustrates the significance of these moments that can evolve and have sweeping effects on their environments.

Artwork Details

Medium

inkjet on plexiglass

Made/Created

Artist

Paiement, Alain

Date made

2008

Dimensions

Height

110.5 cm

Width

110.5 cm