OLGA PERMIAKOVA – SELF SIMILARITY
In her series Self-similarity the Amsterdam based photographer Olga Permiakova (b. 1988, Ukraine) explores the process of reduplication, by combining two of her recurring fascinations; visual illusions and plants.
Sometime in 2019, Permiakova stumbled upon the concept ‘mise en abyme’ - a French term used predominantly in Western art history to describe a formal technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. Apart from describing a self-reflexive repetition in an image or text, this phenomenon was also studied in the world of nature.
Self-similarity was sparked by Permiakova’s attraction to fractals, that is infinitely complex patterns that are self similar across different scales and can be found for example in nature. The best example of natural fractals is the forest, which consists of patterns that repeat smaller and bigger copies of themselves to create one biodiverse organism.
Staying true to her ongoing fascination with flora, Permiakova directs her camera toward various types of plants and by using light and non-natural materials, exercises the process of ‘mise en abyme’. The images she creates, either by zooming into the plants or by combining them with reflective materials, give the viewer an illusion of infinity and three dimensionality. Through her mesmerising imagery, Permiakova creates a narrative within a narrative, questioning our relationship with nature.