Exposé 2 - Finest digital arts in the known universe

Ethan Switch - Monday, 25 October 2004 - Print Version

Whomping on the doorstep in the middle of the day, at a location an hour or so away from actually hearing the thud, a white boxed package lands with much force. Strapped as a sprained ankle, the double-box box holds in it a copy each of Exposé 2 and d'artiste sent over from Ballistic Publishing. This occurs several weeks in the past and haunting images of despair cloud the mind.

First thing to note on grabbing a hold of Exposé 2 is the sheer weight. Not surprising with a hardcover and thick glossy pages designed to stand up to numerous readings. But reading is where this book falls short. Designed more as a directory of talented digital artists, it lets their work speak for itself. Starting with an in-your-face Surprising Moment from Gunther Heinrich and running through to finish off with a rather creepy Church by Mark Brink, this tome features impressive work by a swag of artists and painters from around the world.

Before the actual onslaught of pages pictorial, there are introductory pages outlining the categories, tools used and what they were looking for in each section. And then strangeness. Amongst a judging panel with coloured and well-formed photos of futurist/designer Syd Mead and a guy by the name of Alex Morris of some company named Hayes Davidson in the UK—who looks strikingly like Liza Minnelli's allegedly abused ex-husband, David Gest—is Bay Raitt. The Creature Facial Lead at Weta Digital, Gollum (of The Lord of the Rings) sits beside his picture and is far clearer and more advanced than that of his own profile photo.

Presented in fairly encompassing categories from still life to architecture and mechanical to humour there can't be a total alignment with what the reader thinks a piece should be and where it sits in the sections. Take Ring of imagination by Carl-Mikael Lagnecrantz for instance. Planted in the humour section and just a few pages away from the start of the abstract, this piece is an absolutely freakish concoction, a translucent mouse sits typing or doing something in a ring of what seems like medical experiment off cuts. There is no freak section and if had there been, this would surely lead off.

Most of the pieces feature focal characters used to anchor the set, and for the most part to make a strong presence for the work. U.N.I.T. 35, The door keeper from Stephane "STIPEN" Israel in the Character in Repose 3D section just stands there filled with a doe-eyeness and just feels the page with this sneaky sense of vulnerability underneath the metal exoskeleton.

The Mechanical section is dead and lifeless, with nothing beyond smooth and shiny metals off cars, choppers and gadgets to show. If they aren't just an array of photos, then it's some pretty damn fine deception. Faring better is the Architectural with the buildings and images breathing a little, some of them look like straight shots off existing façades, but on closer inspection are fine lines created.

The myth of influence by David Merrell sports a kind of pop up, easy to note humour about it and really makes for the humour section in an obvious way. Others are more the kind that border on the abstract and even far left of field than a cursory glance would enjoy, though still make for wry upturns of the mouth corners.

Given to each work, the artist often title short and in pretty much all the cases don't go beyond expanding the image presented alongside. Clearly a case for letting the work speak for itself, but sometimes reading the titles is just as fun. The best would have to be The Virgin Mary diagnoses a case of beta thalassemia by Jade Christina Green. An abstract piece, it's the kind of work that makes a writer love working with the medium and so desperately want to sit down and create images and drawing just to bring to life the kind of wonderful title read here.

Certainly marking a shot at the subtitle of "Finest digital arts in the known universe," Exposé 2 can be seen as either a book set to cripple the unsure artist or one that would spark sheer inspiration and determination to one day be among the talented that fall within the covers.

This is not for the straight casual reader looking for a pretty picture book to impress their friends. Though it might be for a library-hating masochist looking for some easy-to-frame artwork.

Ethan Switch