{"id":624638,"date":"2026-04-24T02:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/624638\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:42:11","slug":"contrast-reigns-in-austn-fischers-conspicuous-black-and-white-photos-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/624638\/","title":{"rendered":"Contrast Reigns in Austn Fischer&#8217;s Conspicuous Black-and-White Photos \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI started doing photography\u00a0as a way to express things I don\u2019t understand or to convey a message I\u2019m having a hard time explaining,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/austnfischer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Austn Fischer<\/a> says. \u201cI often work in quite a backwards\u00a0way, knowing exactly what I want to arrange in front of the camera but struggling to understand the significance\u00a0in my life until I am able to reflect on it after.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Wisconsin-born, London-based photographer taps into fashion as performance, considering how our garments, style, and gestures convey parts of our identities. Contrast is key in Fischer\u2019s work, and it emerges through unusual pairings like lace ruffs atop athletic garb or an angular, black gown with a dainty, horse-shaped wire armature. Whether a portrait or a more conceptual composition, each work harnesses an exuberant sense of play and homes in on our ability to remake ourselves anew.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\" title=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_title=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_caption=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2998\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-4.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of david byrne underneath a light with his hand raised as if giving an oath\" class=\"wp-image-473288\"  \/><\/a>David Byrne<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrowing up, I had a lot of questions around my sexuality and my own experience as a man. I naturally gravitated towards fashion because of the story clothing can convey in an image,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe colours, shape, fabric, and the way clothing wraps around a model create a unique conversation around identity and the body.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fischer has collaborated with a range of <a href=\"https:\/\/togetherassociates.com\/artist\/austn-fischer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">editorial and commercial clients<\/a>, shooting Ai Weiwei with a milkshake for The New Statesman, for example, and David Byrne seemingly under oath for Crack Magazine. Whether working on a personal project or a commissioned series, the photographer transforms a largely black-and-white palette that could appear harsh into scenes exuding warmth and softness. <\/p>\n<p>Better understanding his own emotions is Fischer\u2019s priority at the moment, following a series of painful experiences, both personal and professional, that have influenced what and how he\u2019s creating. \u201cRecently, I spent two weeks from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0painting\u00a0a wall in a church white over and over to understand\u00a0patience and reflect on myself. I\u2019m working a lot on understanding emotion and myself through putting my body through different tasks or challenges,\u201d he tells Colossal.<\/p>\n<p>Explore more of Fischer\u2019s portfolio on <a href=\"https:\/\/austnfischer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">his website<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/austnfischer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-7.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of a woman in a tracksuit and frilly collar\" class=\"wp-image-473291\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\" title=\"Ai Weiwei\" data-rl_title=\"Ai Weiwei\" data-rl_caption=\"Ai Weiwei\" data-rl_><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-5.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of ai weiwei holding a milkshake\" class=\"wp-image-473289\"  \/><\/a>Ai Weiwei<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-1.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of two people in a crude horse costume\" class=\"wp-image-473285\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\" title=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_title=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_caption=\"David Byrne\" data-rl_><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-3.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of david byrne sitting on a chair beneath hanging shirts\" class=\"wp-image-473287\"  \/><\/a>David Byrne<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-473283\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fischer-2.jpg\" alt=\"a black and white photo by Austn Fischer of a woman in a black dress with a wire horse sculpture\" class=\"wp-image-473286\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<p>Hide advertising<\/p>\n<p>Save your favorite articles<\/p>\n<p>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Receive members-only newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/p>\n<p>\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI started doing photography\u00a0as a way to express things I don\u2019t understand or to convey a message I\u2019m&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,234257,204141,49,48,356,7603,75,1187,31636,29486,12303,24950],"class_list":{"0":"post-624638","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-austn-fischer","12":"tag-black-and-white","13":"tag-ca","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-editorial","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-fashion","19":"tag-gender","20":"tag-horses","21":"tag-identity","22":"tag-portraits"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}