Clare Strand

Girl in Two Halves, Aerial Suspension, and The Appearing Lady allude to trick photography and its relationship with magic, revealing how photography can visualise the mysterious, the unseen, and the spiritual. By concealing reality while presenting illusion as truth, these images occupy a space between belief and disbelief.

The Conjuration series also adresses  the gendered power dynamics embedded within stage magic. The magician, historically constructed as a male figure of authority and control whilst  women are frequently relegated to the role of assistant and visual spectacle. By depicting young women performing their own magic tricks, the series disrupts this convention, portraying them as both magician and protagonist.

Girl in Two Halves, Aerial Suspension and The Appearing Lady are in The Arts Council collection. Aerial Suspension is also held in the Unicredit Bank Colection.