Diana ThorneyCroft

Known for making artwork that hovers on the edge of public acceptance, Thorneycroft has pursued subject matter that often challenges her viewing audience. Since 1989, when she began to work in the medium of photography, she has exhibited various bodies of work Canada, the United States, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Moscow, Tokyo, Sydney, Vienna and Belgrade and at the Carpenter Centre for Visual Arts at Harvard University. While her work 'The body, its lesson in camouflage' is somewhat a distorted and somewhat twisted take on reality its darkness, its feeling of constraint, the very high contrast, the twisted shapes, the bodys restrained, restricted. Its dark and yet it makes you want to look deeper into the work. It focuses on sexuality and also on anxietys. its almost like a dark play unfolding before your eyes. Her use of lighting plays gently and contrasts the high black. I must say i do love black and white photography which features high contrasts. Its just the difference between the darkest shadows and the white light. As if you are drawn from the darkness, but it is still there, watching.  some of her photos she shoots her subjects under water, almost if to distort this person, others she uses masks on. Her work really is inspiring. The feelings it makes me feel as an audience is something i want to portray in my work. Its almost abstract in a sence.

These final two images really stand out for me. The first being the wire or barbed wire on her arms, the skin is contorted under it and looks really effective. The second is just full on, almost torture. It reminds me slightly of one of the 'game' set ups in the film saw.