Searching for John- A Visual Tale of Loss is a solo show by the Sheffield based artist Emma Bulley.
“When my friend John was dying, I spontaneously began to record our conversations, his body, his surroundings and possessions. After he died in April 2016 my strongest feeling was unease “Yes, but where is he?”
John was an artist too and I recorded his flat as he had left it. In particular I photographed the marks his artworks had left on the walls and the rubber bands, hooks and pieces of tape that were strategically placed to help organise his life. I pair photos of John’s body with images of the marks and objects he left behind seeking a formal or conceptual connection between the two images.
I play with the paradox of whether this pairing adds poignancy to the image or whether some make light of death. John was an enigma – as such I juxtapose the deep to the trivial.
As his flat emptied my own image was reflected back to me in mirrors and windows. John was no more; I was left with myself.”