Marie Bovo is Spanish and was born in 1967. Her large photographs are simple but effective. They are mostly black and white with only sparse indications of colour: a dark red band of steel and a red stripe across a white column.
They have been taken through the open window of a train as it makes its way across the Russian landscape. The windows are made of steel which pick up reflections from the world outside. The earth is covered in snow and we see the bare branches of trees etched against a dead white sky. The time of day varies, at times the light is so bright that it has a luminous quality. There are scattered signs of human habitation.
In formal terms they are an investigation of space and framing but it is the atmospheric quality that counts. Although we are told that they are taken from a small local train travelling between St Petersburg and Murmansk, this information almost seems irrelevant. They are romantic images bringing to mind the landscapes of Doctor Zhivago – but at the same time they are also completely matter of fact. I thought that they were beautiful though and I hope that you agree.
Marie Bovo ‘Stances’ is at kamelmennour, 51 Brook Street, London W1K 4HR until 21 September.
Art Now, Art Then 