Igor Menaker

My current body of work is called “FOUND OBJECTS”. I search scrap yards, old garages and antique stores looking for things that are lost, abandoned and unwanted. They lived their lives full of meaning and purpose. But they are no longer needed. And I give them another chance, another life. I set up found objects on a small table in my studio. This is a stage where they become actors in a play I am producing. They dance and walk, they laugh and cry. And they talk all the time. Finally they arrange themselves into the story I want them to tell. Then the magic begins. The lights are off and it is completely dark. I set up my camera for a long exposure and use a small flashlight to light the scene. I am literally painting with light. It is an intuitive and slow process. The final result, the pictures you see are in fact the glimpses of drama brought out of the darkness into the light. These objects have lived life, have been lost, found and once again they disappear into oblivion when the play is over. Just like you and me. These are the stories of our lives.