Digital artists
Paul Smith is a British Digital photographer who was born in Bradford on Avon, UK, 1969. His two projects 'Artists and rifles' and 'action' mainly involve him inserting himself into his photographs as the protganist. Smith's work represents his attempt to deconstruct myths of masculine sereotypes and glorification.
His series 'action' puts the photographer in the shoes of an all powerful superhero action star. The photographs mostly depict Smith jumping from one roof top to the next, or freefalling from a plane. The surreal hero world generated my the movie industry is brought to life, putting the artist as the hero. These works were installed as light boxes under the ceiling enhancing the illusion and forcing the viewer to look up to the hero.
'Artists rifles' was his best known work. The project gave Smith a chance to show his experience of being enrolled in the army. The photographs depicted soldiers training in mid combat or celebrating victory. With the use of photoshop he managed to digitally manipulate the photos so every soldier is actually the artist himself. The main idea of the pictures is the controlling aspect of the military; soldiers are encouraged to loose their identity and become part of a united whole. The photos were mounted in large, oak frames.
link to artist webpage: http://www.eyestorm.com/artist/Paul_Smith_biography.aspx