Duality and Fluidity. These are terms that resonated with Ethan Helow since the beginning. As an up and coming queer artist, Ethan resurfaces childhood escapist techniques to define and illustrate his own identity.
Children can be many things at once without question. Parents, superiors and greater society do not dismiss simultaneous realities or alternate expressions. Bedtime stories are not bound to the paperback editions we wear and tear. As we age, we are told one story. Labels and ultimatums are created to suppress diversity and evolution. Imaginations dim and humans resort to anticipating and scrutinizing the future or mourning the past to deny the present.
Ethan’s process begins with muting the chaos and stepping into a moment of introspection. His goal is to captivate the average audience and reintroduce the meditative practice of daydream. Photography is Ethan’s portal to another dimension where nothing is absolute.
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It’s no secret that our cushiony goldilocks zone is in peril. Marine immune systems are greatly suppressed from microplastic and chemical run-off. Overfishing created dead zones which lead to mass emaciation. No one is certain our damage can be reversed, but we can give the gift of time to our mother – the one in flames, drying out, melting, stripped to the bone. The same one still promises us autumn colors, cotton flower, and tides that heal our wounds. Let’s try to heal hers; we have so little time to prove our worth.
To view more of Ethan Helow’s work please visit their website.