Alex Hogan

http://www.alexhoganphoto.com/

artist statement:

In October of 2010 I began attending meetings of the Illinois chapter of the Mutual UFO Network, meeting individuals whose lives had been changed through their extraordinary experiences. I wanted to make portraits of these people who had experienced something that would be classified as unexplainable, and to present them in the context of the everyday. I hoped that I might touch on a universal human need to explain, and to be understood.

Throughout the process of documentation, a number of questions have pushed the work forward: Is it right to say that someone did not experience what they claim to have experienced? Is there any way to prove that your experience actually occurred? Has the advent of readily manipulable, digital photography hopelessly complicated this quest for knowledge? Is there one true reality? Could UFOs be the angels and demons of the age of information? Ultimately, my aim in this work is not to take sides or reach any conclusions. These sorts of questions tend to simply raise more questions and concrete answers are rare.

There is a belief amongst most paranormal groups that these phenomena can be witnessed almost anywhere. It is this thought that has led me to the main question involved in this project. Could it be that the unexplainable is a part of everyday reality, but we have become too fixed in our paths or routines, to notice? It’s the common prejudice that members of the UFO sub-culture are nuts who have lost touch with reality. Perhaps instead, the mainstream culture is simply incapable of processing any phenomena that fall outside of safe, preconceived notions and beliefs.

what do you love about the MFA program at Illinois State University?

This program is highly interdisciplinary; you can choose to work with faculty from a variety of different fields. I have benefited from the interdisciplinary critiques, and the ability to take classes in areas outside of photography. I am forced to think about my work in a larger context, which has fostered my growth and taken me out of my comfort zone.

anticipated grauation date: May 2013

Alex Hogan, Bob's Drawing

Alex Hogan, Cath (multiple abductee)

Alex Hogan, Dave Holding the Rockford Lights

Alex Hogan, Dave's Recording of the Rockford Lights

Alex Hogan, Draco (Illustrated Experience)

Alex Hogan, Matt (Abducted During Katrina)