Sean Mundy

What is your goal with your photography/art? What do you want or hope others “get” from your imagery?

I believe that my main goal with my art and photography is to challenge human perception. Not only through how we view art but by how we view the world and our place within it. I believe that we as humans often constrain ourselves within categories and impose limitations on ourselves to fit into sections of our lives to create a sense of normalcy and security.

As a result, I feel as though the average person is fed ideas of how life SHOULD be and the things we should do to be content within it. For instance, “money” does not truly exist, as it is only a collective agreement of the value that we have placed on “currencies”. Concepts like this lead us to believe that we must follow a certain set of steps to live a happy life. For example, marriage, having children, finding a “secure” job, etc. This leads me to why I am so drawn to conceptual/surrealist imagery and creations.

Personally, I believe that anything and everything is possible and surrealism allows me to do just that. I don’t think there is anything wrong with documenting the world as it is, but to me that feels the same as limiting the choices I make for my life. Quite frankly, there are more than enough people documenting the world for what it is and I like to see myself as someone who is showing what could be. Plus, it is just more exciting to me.

When you were starting out, were there any icons or role models that you had that you looked to for inspiration? If so, who were they

As my practice started to become more specific and solidified I became heavily inspired by surreal artist, René Magritte. Specifically, his paintings that would usually show ordinary objects in an unusual context, which led him to be known for challenging preconditioned perceptions of reality. Following his work has helped to guide my own practice to what it is today.