Untitled (For Immobility)

Though best known for his experimental and fashion photography, Man Ray was a multimedia artist who found inspiration in many places. He made this construction, which features five insects posed in a shadow box, as a gift for Surrealist bookbinder Mary Reynolds. As in their natural habitat, the insects blend into the sticks and leaves surrounding them, prompting the viewer to search for all of the occupants. The subtitle, For Immobility, highlights the insects’ knack for hiding in plain sight, and evokes the Surrealist fascination with the uncanny and masquerade. The irony of the composition, with bugs presented starkly on a black background yet still difficult to see, would have appealed to Reynolds, who excelled in using unexpected materials and texture combinations to lend meaning to her own works.