Obscurances 4: Charlotte Mariën

Living without fear, is it possible? And most of all, is it desirable? As someone who is suffering from anxiety disorders herself, Charlotte Mariën has learned that completely avoiding fear is nearly impossible to do and also very limiting. It is often better to lean into the fear and acknowledge it as a normal human sentiment, while continuing to do what you would like. This is symbolized in the series Obscurances, which follows an overwhelmed character, submerged in an alternative reality. Two elements can be discerned in the series’ title: obscure and occurrences. Occurrences refer to the remarkable experiences that the character undergoes, unnoticed by any others and completely unexplainable by our subject. Such occurrences can trigger an all-encompassing doubt, which results in anxious feelings. Obscure, at first glance, refers to the dark tone and unexplainable elements present in the imagery of this series. Beyond this first explanation though, it is also a hint to the camera obscura – a dark room where the present light rays form an image, photography reduced to its bare essence. The light in this series eventually forms its essence. Its interaction with the character symbolizes his way to flourish in the obscure. The experimental use of light sources, reflections, projections and distortions symbolizes how he finds joy, humour and exuberance through it all. Strange and overwhelming things are still bound to occur, but that doesn’t mean the journey cannot further be enjoyed. The notion of being fearless to the artist is a fallacy and, at most, can be pretended by someone well in charge of the fears within. To live like a fearless person, you don’t have to avoid fear, but instead know how to deal with it!