‘Man-Made’ features two experimental bodies of work by documentary artist Chris Bowes. The projects utilise a common methodology, exploiting a chemical reaction that takes place when sweat comes into contact with black and white darkroom paper. While different visually both series act as self portrait of the artist, expanding upon the photographic mediums ability to record by removing the camera from the image making process and instead creating a document born through a mix of human and photographic chemistry. By using this unorthodox technique Bowes’ seeks to address issues associated with photography, such as its associations with truth and reproducibility, while also establishing a direct connection between himself and the artwork.

The first project, Sweat, contains 100 comparative ‘headshots’. In this work Bowes pursues a less mediated approach to the self portrait, capturing a process of repetition but never producing the same result.

The second project, Celestial Body, uses 152 smaller sheets of paper to build an abstract impression of Bowes’ entire body through the fragmentation and reconstruction of his physical form.