Sean Ellingson was born and raised in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He studied Photography at the Art Institute of Seattle and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally, most recently at Collège des Bernardins in Paris, France in coordination with M&C Saatchi Little Stories and Société Générale. For the past two years, he has been living and working in Hong Kong. Today we take a look at his series titled Foreign Objects.
Foreign Objects
“This project was fueled more or less as a visual exercise for myself. I had just completed my BFA studies at SVA almost a year and a half earlier, where I was solely focused on making location based bodies of work. Foreign Objects was sort of a departure from that method of working loosely and freely because it became strictly content driven and less focused on photographs about a place. The majority of the images were made throughout the winter of 2010 in New York City.
The days were short and cold at the time which forced me to examine a new way of making pictures without relying on natural light. I wanted to be out in the elements looking for content without the constraints of the harsh winter weather affecting my process and approach. Gradually I found myself making photos inside both public and private places around the city.
Forcing myself out of the cold brought my attention to a lot of overlooked subject matter in places like automotive shops, bodegas, laundromats, bathrooms, bars, and restaurants. What resulted from exploring these spaces were small photographic investigations of NYC and its environs that ultimately lacked any urban characteristics.”
To view more of Sean’s work, please visit his website.
Sean is also featured in our newest issue From Here On. Pre-order your copy now!