November 16, 2021 |
Louis Tuakli-Mason’s work thrives on intensity. His photography is both hectic and atmospheric, often flourishing into rippled formations, double exposures, and acidic hues.
“A large part of the work is about introspection and self-preservation whilst surviving,” says Tuakli-Mason, who has released a brand-new print publication dubbed Bad Connection. Created in partnership with Bikini State – an emerging, artist-run publication based between London and Nottingham – the A3-sized zine is described as a “nightmarish dream”, packed with hazy, atmospheric shots that tread a fine line between appearing euphoric and sombre.
Coinciding with the sort of work Tuakli-Mason was creating at university – the artist graduated from Camberwell College of Arts this summer – working with print has allowed him to create some of his most intimate work to date.
The project is illustrative of a mental state the artist has been in for some time, based on “pressures that I’ve adopted or [that] have been forced on me,” he says. “This experience is difficult to articulate and unique to the individual – for me, I tackle this in my work with imagery that feels slightly chaotic, that uses stillness as a snapshot of momentum and dynamics. I want people to evolve their understanding of the images the longer they look.”
Shot over the past year, Tuakli-Mason’s closest friends appear as his subjects. “A lot of the imagery features one of my close friends Amelia Gilbert. Shooting with people who are so close to me becomes complex when we create as we both lend the narratives I’m trying to produce – our perspectives of our experiences come into play,” he says. “Parts of them, parts of our relationship become apparent in the way the work turns out.”
For Tuakli-Mason, Bad Connection is a projection into where he aims to take his work next, interweaving personal topics such as mental illness, as well as performance, into his practice, in ways “which don’t feel linear, which invite individual interpretation and allow me importantly to unpack parts of myself that I can push into future work.”
Photography by Louis Tuakli-Mason. Purchase your copy of ‘Bad Connection’ here.
