Mirage Study

A series depicting alluring visual encounters in Qatar.

A mirage is an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions where heated air refracts light from the sky.

While this phenomenon is physically understood, the exploitation of gas and oil in the Arabian Gulf has led to new cash flows and enabled the construction of bold architectural landmarks. These developments have transformed a region naturally prone to mirages into a landscape of engineered optical illusions.

Ordinarily we think of objects through their shape, material, and dimensions. However, the very condition for such judgements is perceptual givenness. By engaging the viewer’s hallucinatory mechanisms of representation, the series opens a reflection on fundamental questions in art and photography.

“Mirage Study” probes a more fundamental level of visual perception and, ultimately, tears it apart.