Chris May is a Melbourne-based photographic artist working in the extended dialogue of pop, abstraction, constructivism and graphics. Influences from his experience in graphics are evident as he experiments with the perception of space, colour, line and form. His practice is divided between
studio-based work and the built environment. Utilising overlooked, found, or collected materials he
brings these elements together, using them out of their original context as they transpose into
compelling abstract forms. Occasionally he will pull back to the bigger picture. However, that intimacy
of abstraction still fascinates him, inviting himself, and ultimately the viewer, to wonder what lies
beyond the surface view.
His latest work, MetroScape, concerns our relationship with the rapidly expanding inner-urban environment. It consists of a series of large poster-size photographs and sculptural work that considers the relationship between construction, infrastructure, and the city environment and how these building projects create a paradoxical space where creation and destruction coexist.
Chris recently completed a Bachelor of Photography and Digital Imaging, majoring in art, at Photography Studies College Melbourne. Since 2014, Chris has participated in various group exhibitions and three of his photographs are now preserved in the City of Melbourne Libraries Heritage Collection.