New Member, Mara Trachtenberg

Hera Gallery is excited to be welcoming a new member to our community! Mara Trachtenberg is an artist and educator focusing predominantly on photography. Her work depicts highly saturated vignettes, documenting surreal moments of seemingly picturesque fantasy. Upon further inspection these idealized glimpses reveal a darker side dealing with impermanence and mortality.

The images below are from her 'The Suspense of Reanimation' series, which illustrates the specific moment in a fairy tale when the protagonist is hovering in a space framed by 'the metaphoric death of an inadequate self and rebirth to a higher plane of existence (Bruno Bettleheim).' She uses a rabbit corpse to portray these moments, making her metaphors more accessible to the viewer.

Sleeping Beauty, digital C print, 2005

Princess, Digital C print, 2005

The images below are from her series 'A Decadent World,' which blends the realm of culture an nature together into a decadent confection. Mara uses cake decorating techniques to construct miniature aristocratic moments, again featuring animals as opposed to human forms, embracing opulence, abundance, and sophistication. This series narrates the multifaceted and precarious relationship that humanity has created with (nature) animals for our pleasure and use.

Welcome to a Decadent World, digital c print, 2009.

The Meeting (who were they greeting), digital c print, 2009

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