Corey Grayhorse
As a native of Venice, California, both culture and environment have influenced my art. A desire to capture imaginative composition led to a study of photography at Santa Monica College. There, I infused my work with the color and flavor of an eclectic and eccentric community. I relocated to Providence, Rhode Island in 2001, and continued to develop as a photographer.
My work is contemporary and studied; everything is by design. A wide-ranging influence of styles in art, photography, fashion, and set design, as well as traditional and pop culture inform my perspective. My trademarks of color, composition, and lighting are apparent as consistent threads throughout my work. All of these serve as a strong narrative in each piece.
Attention to detail and artful manipulation of the medium elevate my work beyond just photography. This process involves the creation of elaborate sets and costumes. Each element is thought out and carefully placed as part of the story. In a sense, these sets are installations and performance art constructed and acted solely by me. Through the addition of characters, my portraits show a deep interest in the human expression. Use of a fish eye lens creates strange beauty and satire, eliciting emotional and social responses. Frozen in time through photography, the work becomes a window into a fantastic dream world, drawing my audience in.
In my world, Japanese Street Culture collides with Haute Couture, and Hello Kitty courts Marie Antoinette. I take these icons from their original context and superimpose them into a new one, contrasting the traditional with the contemporary. My images are fresh and lively, and it is clear that I have as much fun making them, as the spectator has viewing them.
