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Tarragona, Catalunya

Photograph
1998-2001 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In his series Esperantis, Patrick Shanahan photographs at night, focussing on peripheral urban areas that are brightly lit to reveal hyperreal spaces at once convincing but unsettling. Shanahan often concentrates on beach scenes that we are used to seeing in daylight, crowded with holiday makers. The emptiness of these tourist havens, combined with the artificial light that distorts the photograph in unexpected ways, adds to the strangeness of these images. Exploring the link between the real and the ideal, Shanahan plays with the material and psychological effects of modern urban spaces.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Tarragona, Catalunya (assigned by artist)
  • Esperantis (series title)
Materials and techniques
Lambda print
Brief description
Photograph by Patrick Shanahan, 'Tarragona, Catalunya', from the series 'Esperantis', 1998-2001, Lambda print
Physical description
Large colour photograph of a car park along the coastline, with a single car in the centre of the image.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36in
  • Width: 54in
Credit line
Given by the artist
Subjects depicted
Summary
In his series Esperantis, Patrick Shanahan photographs at night, focussing on peripheral urban areas that are brightly lit to reveal hyperreal spaces at once convincing but unsettling. Shanahan often concentrates on beach scenes that we are used to seeing in daylight, crowded with holiday makers. The emptiness of these tourist havens, combined with the artificial light that distorts the photograph in unexpected ways, adds to the strangeness of these images. Exploring the link between the real and the ideal, Shanahan plays with the material and psychological effects of modern urban spaces.
Bibliographic reference
Shanahan, Patrick Esperantis Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, 2003
Collection
Accession number
E.270-2005

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Record createdFebruary 28, 2006
Record URL
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