Take a Picture is a series of invisible paintings by Toronto-based artists Brad Blucher and Kyle Clements.
Inside the venue, several medium sized (around 60cm X 90cm, or 2 X 3 feet) paintings will be hung on the walls. To the naked eye, the audience will only be able to see blank canvas, with nothing on it; but when viewed through a digital camera, an image will appear on the camera's view screen. The only way to experience the artwork is to photograph it.
This series explores the relationship between the ubiquity of digital cameras and social media, which encourages all aspects of daily life to be documented and shared, and the culture of art museums and galleries, which strictly prohibits photographing works of art. These invisible paintings require that they be photographed for the image to be unlocked for the viewer.
What kind of images are on these canvases? Well, since you are taking it's picture, the canvas will smile for you. Images of winks, tongues, and smiles will be revealed on the camera's view screen.
A special kind of digital camera is not required, even the one built in to a cellphone will reveal the images. In fact, low-end consumer grade digital cameras work far better than their more expensive counterparts in the professional range.
The first public showing of Take a Picture occured in Toronto, during Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010. Since then, Take a Picture was included in the minimalist art show About:Blank, and was later shown during Cold Compress, an event organized by the Toronto Burning Man Community.
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