Hedonic Reversal #14

Since the earliest days of the medium, photographers have harnessed photography’s power to document the remains of the past and the ever-changing environments of the present, and the history of photography is filled with romanticized pictures of ancient ruins and contemporary urban decay. Through his series Hedonic Reversal, Rodrigo Valenzuela challenges the trope of beautiful ruins with photographs that depict architectural forms constructed in his studio. Devoid of history and connection to lived social realities, Valenzuela’s pictures raise questions about the role of photographer and viewer alike in the aestheticization of built environments connected to poverty and suffering.