Let’s pay a visit to the René Magritte of Photography: an unique photographic artist, Ronen Goldman.

Goldman is not, per se, a great photographer; he’s a great creator of situations, sets, scenes, tableaux, most of which are, let us say, ‘dreamlike’.  How does he do it?  All he does is translate his dream into reality – and then photographs it!  Haven’t you always wanted to do just that?!

The slumberous inspiration for the photographs gives rise to the project’s name: The ‘Surrealistic Pillow’.  Here is where you’ll find fishbowl heads, iguana-laden beds, balloon’ish lanterns, apple barrages, fruity hail, guitar-filled woods, a bench with Kali Ma’s multiple arms, and other photographs that are just too weird to even describe!

The images clearly look like photographs but, even without any special effects Photoshopping (as opposed to the obvious combining and accumulation of discrete photographs and photographic elements), some have a painterly, feel.  This arises no doubt because of the nature of the image itself: one is accustomed to seeing ‘unreality’ in paintings whereas one is equally accustomed to seeing reality in photographs.

There’s more to these photographs than immediately meets the eye: though the origin of these images – dreams – suggests a novelty project, these photographs are more than a novelty.  That’s because Goldman concentrates his attention and shifts the emphasis from creativity in-camera when making the shot and creativity on the computer when post-processing to ‘creativity a priori’ – well before making the shot.  What a concept in the Age of Photoshop!

Also, a few photographs are truly good enough to decorate a lobby.  Consider the photograph of a girl lying on a pathway leading to an ivy-covered castle with hands emerging from bushes along each side, trying to reach the immobile girl.  Leaving aside whatever Freud or Jung may have to say about this particular scene, this photograph is superbly executed and stands as a work of art.

Ronen Goldman had a really good idea and he has been executing it equally well.  Let’s take a twist on that Chinese greeting and wish that ‘he lives in interesting dreams’!