Austin Irving: NOT AN EXIT

NOT AN EXIT proposes a closer examination of the everyday locations that we routinely pass through. The subjects of the series are doorways and hallways, liminal spaces intended for movement that somehow appear impenetrable. Maze-like optical illusions occur when the linear elements align to simultaneously flatten and expand the two dimensional plane. Void of cultural signifiers, belonging to no specific place or location, a universality of line and form reoccurs from image to image, offering a deeper assessment of the formal elements that make up the spaces we pass through and sometimes never truly see. We are going somewhere and yet—there seems to be no way out.

The images included in NOT AN EXIT were photographed on 4x5 film on location in Thailand, The Netherlands, Singapore, Malaysia, California, New York, Virginia, and Arizona.