2021-02-13
Sarah Chen
Design Dispatch, New York
Summer Wagner's use of vibrant colors and dreamlike scenarios creates a sense of unease, questioning what is real and what is fabricated. Through her lens, she reimagines the mundane as extraordinary, crafting images that are both unsettling and captivating.
Capturing the In-Between: Summer Wagner's Surreal Landscape
Summer Wagner’s surreal yet strikingly familiar photographs feel like hyperreal paintings. Drawing from daydreams, literature, and practical effects, the photographer’s work invites us into a collective fantasy – one that might just be more real than it seems.. Art feeling otherworldly is one thing, but to create art that feels similarly otherworldly and familiar – both nostalgic and (at times) unnerving – is a whole other feat. For LA-based fine artist Summer Wagner, this blurred line between reality and fantasy is the key to her captivating vision.
Wagner's photographs often transport viewers into an alternate realm where the laws of nature are subtly distorted, yet somehow still relatable. Her use of soft focus, muted colors, and atmospheric lighting creates a dreamlike quality that draws us in and refuses to let go. Whether she's depicting isolated landscapes, decaying buildings, or eerie portraits, Wagner's images evoke a sense of longing and unease – as if we're witnessing moments from our own subconscious. This uncanny ability to tap into the collective psyche has earned her a reputation as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary photography.
By exploring the intersection of reality and fantasy, Wagner challenges our perceptions of what is real and what is imagined. Her work becomes a kind of psycho-geography – a mapping of the unconscious mind onto the physical world. In doing so, she reminds us that the boundaries between dreams and waking life are far more permeable than we often care to admit. As we immerse ourselves in Wagner's surreal landscapes, we're invited to confront our own fears, desires, and ambiguities – and perhaps discover a new sense of wonder and unease in the process.
