Kent Rogowski turn bears inside out.
Teddy Bears that is.
It’s not as grim as it sounds. By taking the bears and turning them inside out there is something quite beautiful and oddly nostalgic about the photography project that he began and that has recently been published into a book, Bears.
The photography series breaks the bears break down certain visual stereotypes of what is expected from the childhood toy. It’s disconcerting initially, yet oddly effective. And, yes, the plush toys are tuned inside out.
In an interview with The Morning News, Rogowski said that he has been pleased with the reaction from a an audience whish has been diverse.
“Some people just find them really cute and want to decorate their kids’ rooms with them, while others look at the images and find them very subversive and disturbing. Other people look at the images and see themselves in them. I think the appeal comes from the project’s simplicity, and because it is an object that a large group of people have memories of,” he said.
Bears is intriguing. And Rogowski has tapped an interesting visual expression of a childhood icon.
