The Surreal in the Real

PrizeFinalists in Shoot (photo/video)
CompanyJoel Simpson Photography
ArtistJoel Simpson
CategoryProfessional
CreditPhoto by Joel Simpson

I photograph abstract and figurative compositions in rocks and ice. Through immersion in Surrealism, I discover bizarre and evocative figures in nature, such as imaginary creatures, ancient ruins, fossils, grimacing masques, heavenly bodies, erotic fragments, architectural fantasies, grotesque homunculi, and ominous settings—humorous, frightening, ironic. Dalí’s realistic technique made his perverse subjects believable, calling it the “concrete irrational.” This term applies to my photography of rocks and ice, which is LITERALLY concrete. All my images are unitary with no image-combining.