“The shadows reveal the reality of our lives: boundaries and definitions blur, ever shifting,” writes Lanell Dike, describing the series of photographs below. “I am fascinated and intrigued by duality. We live our lives and construct our beliefs and worldviews by concepts that derive meaning from being in opposition to one another: good and evil, dark and light, happiness and sadness, poor and rich. The Shadow Series plays with our dualistic concepts of self and other, subject and object, seen and unseen, solid and permeable, static and transitory. In the photographs, the shadow form merges with the background and the illusion of our separateness dissolves: we are one with our surroundings.”

To learn more, read Phil Barcio’s blog post and explore the artist’s website.

About Lanell Dike

Lanell Dike is a self-taught artist from Oakland, California. Her work explores our inner landscape — our thoughts, emotions, memories, opinions, and beliefs — and examines how the ephemera of this internal realm shapes our understanding of self, each other, and the physical world. She runs an alternative art space called Frisbie St. out of her 1.5 bedroom apartment. The art space hosts gropu and solo art shows and offers community art days for kids and adults. Visit Lanell’s website to see her work and visit the Frisbie St. website to get involved.