Erik Hagen

Statement:
These are images as prose, each one telling its own story and together a collection of stories. Together, they tell of once powerful symbols confronted by contemporary reality, of loneliness and desperation thinly veiled, of memories and possessions lost, and of people passing through and contemplating where to go and what is next. I am transfixed by these transient moments of displacement and longing, and can only seek to understand them by capturing their semblance before it is gone. In this way, these images become a personal documentary, but cast through the experience of another person or place mirroring my own sense of unrest. The images I leave behind are theirs as much as mine. I do not draw a line between beauty and tragedy because one can always become the other.

Bio:
Erik Hagen is an American artist. His work has appeared in numerous group shows and he is a selected participant in Review Santa Fe. Humans pass through the world nearly as fast as the wind. Along their brief journey through the world they interact with one another and the world around them, trying to make sense of their swift transitions. Erik Hagen’s photographs explore these interactions, which are often sorrowful but also strange and funny. He is currently based in Los Angeles where he drives a taxi.

Artist’s Website: balladofathinman.com