Artist's Statement

Jeff Evans

These are absurd times we live in. We have a president who throws temper tantrums, “fake” news and politicians who enact laws against science they don’t like. Meanwhile, there’s rising economic inequality, neo-Nazis marching in the street and intensified disasters due to climate change. People go about their lives as if everything’s normal, but it’s not.

I’ve been photographing everyday subjects that appear normal at first glance, but are out of the ordinary and absurd – such as the door on the second floor of a building that opens to midair. They’re more relevant now than ever. I want to investigate the whole country and publish a book of the photos.

I won’t know ahead of time what I’ll discover. But that’s not a problem because my best photos are often the result of serendipity, unplanned and found while on the way to somewhere else. I’ve found absurd photo subjects throughout Illinois and during trips to upstate New York. I expect I’ll find absurd subjects wherever I go.