Jeff Moorfoot artifact scans form part of the artist’s long-running exploration of scanner-based image making. Using a flatbed scanner rather than a camera, Moorfoot transforms ordinary objects into carefully arranged photographic studies defined by texture, surface and precision.

Jeff Moorfoot’s Artifact series presents a collection of personal objects as scanned studies of character and cultural residue.

An artifact is typically an item of cultural or historical interest. It is often said you can judge a person’s character by the company one keeps, or the ingredients of one’s refrigerator, or one’s choice of fashion.

These images feature a number of my possessions—valued, in most cases. They have been acquired over the years by various means. I am sure they give rise to the imagination of any armchair psychiatrist who happens to view them in this context.

CREDITS

Artist
Jeff Moorfoot

Exhibition
ARTIFACT, Maud Gallery, 2021

Medium
Scanning process and digital archival print, Limited Edition

Enquiries
Pricing and availability on request via Maud Gallery.

CURATORIAL NOTE

Artifact forms part of Jeff Moorfoot’s long-running exploration of scanner-based image making. Using a flatbed scanner rather than a camera, Moorfoot transforms ordinary objects into carefully arranged photographic studies defined by texture, surface and precision.

Although the works draw from personal possessions, the series resists straightforward autobiography. Instead, the objects operate as fragments of implied narrative, inviting viewers to construct their own associations and interpretations. Familiar domestic items become psychologically charged once isolated from their usual context and presented within the clinical clarity of the scanner.

At the same time, a quiet humour runs throughout the series. The images appear observational and direct; however, they gradually shift into something more ambiguous and speculative. In doing so, Artifact sits somewhere between photography, collection, documentation and personal archive.