Summer Wagner's photographs are easily mistaken for paintings, as the poses, colors, and backgrounds captured look so perfect that only a paintbrush could present such fleeting beauty. She enhances the visual appeal of her photos using color grading techniques, creating surreal and dreamlike images.
However, the self-proclaimed magician photographer explains that it is her creative vision, carefully positioned camera, and thoughtfully designed props that imbue her photos with a unique charm. Her work explores life in the post-industrial era but captures it through the eyes of someone who believes the gap between fantasy and reality is not as vast as others might imagine.
Her work often blurs the boundaries between reality and dreamlike imagery, and you can find her captivating images in the NFT series, such as 'Silent Hunt', 'Evolution, Winter Solstice', and one of her recent projects, 'Hand of Shadows'.
But before we delve into her works, you need to understand Wagner, her genesis NFT series, and where she has taken her mystical artistic vision since then.
Wagner began self-portrait photography in 2020.
Summer Wagner picked up a camera for the first time in 2020, and shortly after, she began sharing her photos on social media platforms like Instagram and X (then Twitter). In an interview with Art of This Millenium (AOTM), she shared that it was the community she built on X that ultimately encouraged her to share her work in NFT form.
Thus, a year after picking up the camera, Wagner launched her first NFT series. Her genesis series (The In-Between) was released in October 2021 on the art NFT platform Foundation and consists of 24 1/1 photography NFTs created throughout the summer of 2021.
As she writes on her website, the series 'Contemplates the aesthetic dialectic between rationality and materiality, nature and artificiality, ritual and habit'. Her work captures the profound connection between personal narratives and broader societal themes, highlighting the human experience.
These themes are consistently present in her work. As she says, these works return to her roots and belief in spirit and magic. Her photography evokes feelings of nostalgia and longing, encouraging viewers to reflect on their emotions and memories.
Her creative process relies on totems and other practices.
Although this artist, born in Illinois, may be relatively new to photography, she started writing at a young age, and her background in filmmaking has influenced her artistic vision and technique, blending cinematic inspiration, practical effects, and color grading skills.
According to her interview with AOTM, Wagner began journaling at the age of six, and now she uses most of what she writes to help conceptualize images.
Besides her journals, totems (or objects with specific spiritual significance) provide another source of inspiration and foundation for Wagner's creativity.
One of Wagner's latest works (Hand of Shadows) is a collection of four images, totaling 200 pieces (50 versions of each image). In the PROOF description of this collection, Wagner shared:
'I love to enter a meditative state while creating, allowing the work to unfold naturally. That’s why I always have some things around me that I find interesting (totems) that pull me into that subconscious space. In this series (Hand of Shadows), I am truly focused on a set of totems that allow me to easily enter that world: mandible, crystal ball, dagger, and flame.'
Upon closer inspection of these collections, you can see that these items not only help Wagner express her creativity behind the lens but also serve as a source for connecting with viewers in front of the lens.
Her practice of creating self-portraits alone is an important part of her artistic journey, allowing her to reclaim her creativity and express her inner self.
Her works have appeared in notable art collections.
In addition to continually sharing her personal NFT collections, Wagner has collaborated with other NFT artists to launch two collaborative collections and exhibitions.
For the auction house Christie's, Wagner added her work to the 2023 (Soul Mapping) auction, which also featured 30 other NFT artists, such as Sam Spratt, Justin Aversano, and Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Her NFT 'Chemical Baptism II: The Reverie in Myrrh' features an image of three women in the night, with one woman floating while the other two leave space for her and use a bottle to cleanse her.
Wagner also contributed to the 'Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition', adding her 'Hand of Shadows' series to a larger exhibition centered around the owl-themed NFT project Moonbirds, which serves as a community benefit. Other contributing artists include Terrell Jones and Sarah Ridgley.
No matter which series of Summer Wagner you appreciate, you cannot escape the sense of magic, peace, and simplicity of life embodied in each piece.
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