Award-winning photographer Brad Walls’ new series “Vacant” puts his signature surrealism and geometric art at the forefront.
After visiting a squash court he used to play at in high school, Walls was instantly hooked by the vast empty space and linework of the court:“As an artist you are trying to push your work to the next level, finding the new scenes, testing the limits. A 20-square-metre box using a drone was the next challenge I was bound to crash.”
Walls is famed for his "Pools From Above" collection that captures the unexpected beauty, curves, hues, and textures of unique aquatic architecture from around the world. In creating "Vacant", he set out to create a pure, clinical, retro-futuristic theme, using white and pops of red “to combat the claustrophobic nature of a squash court.”
Like the artist’s other work, Walls employs a trademark choreographic style, opting for mid-movement static poses; duplicity, symmetry of figures, and negative space weave throughout the series.
“Geometry provides a hint at consistency in an ever inconsistent world. The movement direction is intended to be artificially detached from the environment. They tell a story, but I don’t want to give the whole story away – I like the idea of seduction within my work.”
Photo: Brad Walls