Haunting Landscapes

Haunting Landscapes

Shot largely on the same set of beaches in Portugal over two years, The Accidental Theorist depicts a series of instances that are devoid of explanation. A familiar yet ubiquitous landscape is pervaded by stillness, offering little by way of narrative. Static and at times uncomfortable, a weighted black sky meets a luminous stretch of sand, splitting each image between light and dark. The photographs communicate a sense of tranquillity whilst building apprehension in the viewer – they occupy a space where reality cannot be distinguished from dream, and anxiety replaces certainty. Edgar Martins’s (b. 1977) series translates the iconography of the holiday beachscape into a staged sense of melancholy – a seismic arena waiting for events to unfold. Familiarity is replaced by eeriness, an intriguing concept that is further exaggerated by the arresting beauty of the settings. Martins offers a complex and highly successful example of fine art photography. www.edgarmartins.com.