art crush: barbara + michael leisgen.

in the 1970s, the early works of barbara + michael leisgen developed as a counterpoint to conceptual photography. memisis, the series from which these photographs are taken, belongs to practices operating since the early 1960s: the recording of a natural imprint, research into the body theme and experiments with land art.

barbara’s silhouette is set, and its fleeting trace is left in the landscape; the actions involve stretching out her arms to follow the contours of the undulating countryside. the photographs are not merely imitating nature through its gestures; it describes, in the sense of tracing, and channels it as well. in a way, the landscape is then repossessed in a subjective manner.