‘Look’ is based on a media image of a young boy displaced by conflict. It uses the gaze of the subject and the audience to address the power of witnessing.
The audience is free to view the image without confronting the gaze of the subject, or the reality of the situation. If they choose to regard it for its visual presence alone, then it cannot force them to look again.
My hope is that the work can remind the audience that while witnessing the conflicts, disasters and injustices of the world can seem draining, or even painful, however the consequences of looking away may be disastrous. When we ignore situations, or knowledge is purposefully withheld, we are denied the power of our personal and collective gaze.
