Michael Hagen
Left Behind (Series)
DESCRIPTION
Left Behind
This photographic series is a quiet exploration of the traces human life leaves behind.
It focuses on remnants — ranging from barely perceptible marks to unmistakable imprints of presence.
The presented diptychs are selected from the artist book Left Behind and function as a visual statement on impermanence, absence, and what remains.
AUTHOR
In my work, I explore what I describe as the “Echoes of the Seen”—the emotional and intuitive resonance that visual impressions leave within us. Using simple tools such as a smartphone and accessible editing software, I transform photographs into intuitive visual interpretations of perception, memory, and inner states. Through layering, fragmentation, and manipulation, I investigate both the materiality of the photograph and the subtle shifts of attention it can evoke.
A central part of my current practice is translating these visual explorations into tactile artist books.
The artists' books VITA, Requiem, and Immersive have been acquired for the permanent collections and archives of several institutions, including:
• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Paris (FR) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (ES) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Klingspor Museum, Offenbach (DE) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Instituto Moreira Salles, Biblioteca de Fotografia, São Paulo (BR) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg (SE) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru (IN) – [VITA, Requiem]
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