+ About the work

The image's construction involved a photograph of my dad as a child, which I burst my ear through and re-photographed. The photo and frame are cut from the point of the ear - I think rather than the ear being passive to the mouth, it operates here as an ear that cuts. The title links to the extramission theory of vision - the once commonly held belief that instead of light entering the eye, invisible tendrils came out that would physically touch an object to see it (to touch with a look, leading to myths like the basilisk, Medusa etc). This image points towards a role reversal: an ear that can touch, that can destroy.

+ About the artist

Since finishing his studies at at the Royal College of Art, London in 2011 Jonny Briggs has gained significant esteem for his radical and playful work. He has received numerous awards including Saatchi New Sensations 2011, Foam Talent 2014 and a NESTA Creative Sparks Award.

A recent site specific installation in Burgh House and Hampstead Museum and solo exhibition at the Photoforum Pasquart Photography Museum in Switzerland 2017 were received with acclaim. His work has been included in numerous group shows internationally, including Shanghai Centre of Photography, The Benaki Museum in Greece, Jerwood Space and Photographers' Gallery in London, The Mark Rothko Centre in Latvia, L'Atelier Néerlandais in Paris, Centre Photographique in Normandy, The Marta Herford Museum in Germany, Fondazione Fotografia Modena, Hauser & Wirth Somerset and East Wing Gallery in Dubai.