The marriage collection is silly and innocuous, or so it seems. A friend said they reminded her of Punch and Judy dolls and she’s right; he is playing puppeteer. But just as the mask collection carries poignant duality, these marriage frames are also hardly one dimensional.
Stezaker’s patience and precision first to find the two faces and then to seamlessly align lips, eyebrows, chins, hairlines is noteworthy. He has said that before he cuts into the portraits he feels like a surgeon. What a deft simile it is. Both use scalpels. Both alter. But while a surgeon aims at leaving no traces of incision, the scar is vital to the artist. It’s a sinister jarring and awkwardness which gives these their eerie shots such appeal.
Whether or not you find his work as intriguing as I do, don’t tell me you didn’t look twice.
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