In The Mirror Suitcase Man, photographer Rui Calcada Bastos creates surrealist visions with a single, elusive prop: a suitcase made of paneled mirrors. As in the canvas paintings of Rene Magritte, this mysterious object projects a sort of photograph within a photograph, a rectangular shot of windows and balconies layered over an image of a man holding a suitcase. As represented by this reflected apartment front, the notion of home is revealed to be illusory, juxtaposed sharply with the concrete reality of traveling, or of leaving home for somewhere else. This magical suitcase, unlike others of its kind, does not contain earthly possessions but transitory moments, two dimensional black and white scenes that are visible for just a moment.
Image © Rui Calcada Bastos
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