Photographer Adrian Samson plays with space and perspective in this series of “still lifes”

Photographer Adrian Samson’s latest series is all about colours and forms. Titled Chroma there’s now four different iterations of the project but all are united in their aesthetic. “Earlier this year I got inspired by the exhibition of Russian Art of the 1920s and 30s at the Royal Academy of Arts called Revolution, especially by the geometric abstract paintings of Malevich and Kandinsky,” explains Adrian. “Kandinsky’s work was the first I had on my wall when I was growing up in Slovakia, so for me it was also a return to my first memories of seeing art.”

For the most recent set of images for the project, Adrian focused on using “creamy whites, a whole range of warm reds, yellows, browns and beautiful blues”. He created a physical space out of paper boards and covered the joining edges with fabrics in these colours. “I set the highest aperture on my wide-angle lens and made a set of two-dimensional images of my three-dimensional set designs,” says Adrian. “I like the idea of creating a still life image without having any objects in it. Working in a three-dimensional space that you may not notice until you look for it, challenges the traditional understanding of photographic still life.”

While Chroma specifically focuses on form and colour, Adrian’s overall photography is concerned with these elements, incorporating ideas like “harmony and disruption” rather than simply being figurative. “My choice of subject matter is usually motivated more by these abstract and two-dimensional interplays than anything else, which is why my images are often tightly cropped even when there is a model in the pictures,” explains Adrian. “I’m also hugely influenced by contemporary arts and design – I like to work mostly in my studio with small minimalist settings.”

Aside from working on Chroma, Adriand has also been taking on more editorial and commercial projects including a fashion shoot for Under the Influence magazine, a story for The Plant magazine, a tribute to Bruno Munari for Vogue Homme and a recent project for Miu Miu. “Shooting fashion is quite new to me and I find it very exciting to see my photography expanding into new territories,” says the photographer. “Chroma IV is not typically a work that would inspire someone to commission me. When working on a personal series I don’t think of where it would fit in the realm of commerce, I just do what I please and experiment any way I like.”