For me, great photography is often defined by that moment where this one particular image powerfully strikes your visual nerves and stays burned on the internal retina of your soul, never to quite leave the back of your mind. Jakarta based artist Mikael Aldo manages to do just that with his work, quite literally, the piece being called Torn to halves. It’s an image that sadly gets shared often without the mention of the artist, something I feel we at MoCDA make it a mission to try and prevent and correct now and in the future.
The imagery that Mikael creates often feels tied to the natural, birds, fire, water and in this case a bolt of lightning help form and determine his often digitally enhanced compositions. As a Christlike figure lacking a cross the protagonist of this image gets struck, almost welcoming some form of fatality with open arms. One can imagine it as some kind of a pose in an intimate dance performance, where the central figure has the clouds themselves for a partner. Be sure to discover this and more of Mikael striking visuals on his social media platforms and website.
