“I took a single frame that represented the emotion of 'Despair,' and I made a film on either side of that frame. I think that’s still how I use photography, in a way. I can put an entire emotion in a single frame ”
—Alex Prager
Influenced by pulp fiction and cinematic tropes, self-taught photographer and film-maker Alex Prager creates striking, sometimes unnerving images that are filled with a dynamic cast of characters. The hyperreal worlds she creates are packed with human melodrama, like the retro 'damsel in distress' character that regularly makes appearances in Prager's brightly colored and dramatically lit scenes.
With influences ranging from David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, William Eggleston, Cindy Sherman, and Gregory Crewdson, Prager references the vivid aesthetics of mid-twentieth century American cinema and photography. Pairing photographs alongside her films as part of her practice, Prager presents an eerie, alternative world where more questions are asked than answered.
2010 Six chromogenic prints and digital video. Each 16 x 21 3/8 in. (40.6 x 54.3 cm); video length: 4:12 Signed, titled, dated and numbered 1/10 in ink on six artist's labels accompanying the work. Video colophon. DVD. Enclosed in a red cloth clamshell portfolio case with embossed title on cover and embossed number 1/10 on the inside cover.
