Slips and Burns in Photofusion

Slips and Burns by Maria Ahmed is the small but perfectly formed new show at Photofusion. 

Her work is a mix of still photography – using archival images of her mother’s native Finland, collage and digital manipulation – interspersed with small animations. 

At first the larger works appear as landscapes – albeit unusual and confected ones. But on closer inspection, this comfortable territory slips away and reveals a more complex story of shapes, textures and organic forms. They are restful and restless at the same time. You are outside looking into a scene and then suddenly inside looking out. And the initial sense of history and nostalgia soon gives way to a sense of uncertainty and transience. She has married continuity and change, permanence and flux in these mysterious and slightly magical pieces which leave you wondering what you’re looking at.

The smaller animations add to the idea of slippery ground. Repeated visual sequences and shifting shapes are dotted amongst the larger works and rather hypnotically draw you into a comfort zone which then disappears and you are once again on unsure territory.

This is a fascinating show. Spend a bit of time amongst these works and you will be charmed and intrigued.

Slips and Burns runs until 27 April in Photofusion, which is accessed via the fist floor of the Brixton Rec Centre, Brixton Station Road, SW9 7QD. 

Entry is free.

For further information call 020 7738 5774 or visit www.photofusion.org