I recently received an e-mail from Brooklyn-based photographer Alana Celii. Her series The Wild explores artificially constructed landscapes in Urban settings.
"As viewers we know that these habitats are false, but we accept them as life like. The spaces are realistic in that they house the same temperature, plant life, soil, etc.; yet, we experience the space much like we experience art in a museum. There are barriers in place for us to not get too close, and the paths quickly guide the viewer through and out of the space; there is rarely a place for one to take in the scene."
Celii's images expose the utilitarian design inherent in these scenes. In their attempt to mimic reality, these spaces ultimately transmit an even greater level of superficiality. Conclusively, her work raises questions about the substitution of artifice for reality; and what consequences this can bring with it.
Image from the series The Wild
© Alana Celii
