Ger van Elk (1941-2014)
Missing Persons 2
1976 | photograph | 48 × 64 cm
Missing Persons 2 shows three smartly dressed gentlemen having a drink. All their attention is fixed on an empty armchair in the middle of the room, above which we see a wisp of smoke.
In this work, which is part of a larger series, Ger van Elk refers to how dictatorial regimes make unwanted persons literally go up in smoke by editing them out of official photographs. Van Elk emphasises the artificiality of such situations through the exaggerated poses of his models and by colouring in the prints by hand.
Show me more
