FRAN FORMAN THE COLOR OF ABSENCE

Born in the 1940s, cinematic storyteller and American artist Fran Forman constructs visual narratives by connecting different photographs of locations, strangers and objects together. Once combined, the disconnections that permeate the staged compositions echo the paradox of the digital age: despite growing global interconnects, we stand painfully separate from one another. This deep loneliness, characteristic of contemporary society, is the foundation of the series ‘The Color of Absence’. BBA Gallery discovered Fran Forman from the BBA Artist Prize 2022. A year on, BBA Gallery presents ‘The Color of Absence’, Forman’s first solo exhibition in Berlin and Germany.

The Baby Boomer is a generation often criticised in the media for being out of touch with today’s world and younger generations. Fran Forman effectively subverts such stereotypes. Forman exemplifies the empathy and maturity that comes from the experience of living through generational changes. Forman's position as part of the Baby Boomer generation brings a rich understanding of socio-political changes in society to 'The Color of Absence’. Growing up in America, Forman witnessed the active political and social climate of the time, particularly the anti-war and civil rights movement at the end of the Vietnam war. ‘The Color of Absence’ began during COVID, when feelings of separation, seclusion and disconnection crescendoed. From Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha, no generation in her works is exempt from loneliness.

Interior spaces and buildings stand as symbols of people’s inner experiences. The withdrawn subjects are inaccessible, trapped in these interiors, absorbed in their invisible fantasies. The rigid geometric structures and over-saturation of reality in her composition make references to Hopper’s manner of commenting on the emptiness of the 30s and 40s. Her images artistically display the sense of separation and alienation that people are feeling in their relationships with friends and family. In doing so, Forman comments on the personal impacts of existing in our own silos and political bubbles. With companionship just out of reach, these personal narratives expand on the Noir tradition of exposing fragility, longing and lost kinship. In these bleak settings, Forman offers an escape in the guise of portals: a lit window, a mirror or a door left ajar.

About the Artist

Fran Forman is an American artist-photographer, and cinematic storyteller. The visual artist studied art and sociology as an undergraduate at Brandeis University, followed by an MFA from Boston University in graphic design. Fran Forman has developed an acute psychological sensitivity for the crises that have been steadily gaining ground in America since the 1960s. Her works are in permanent museum collections around the world, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM, Washington, DC). In addition to residencies, honours and grants, Forman has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions around the world.