The Walther Collection

Angolan, b. 1977; lives and works in Luanda, Angola

Edson Chagas initially worked as an image editor of the Angolan newspaper Expansao, after studying photography at the University of Newport in Wales; London College of Communication; Escola Técnica de Imagem e Comunicação in Portugal; and Centro Comunitário de Arcena in Portugal.

In his series, Found Not Taken (2008–ongoing), Edson Chagas creates abstract compositions from everyday scenes. Capturing a battered football in front of a crumbling cobalt façade or a defunct satellite dish lying prone on an inclined street, his photographs often conjure the vibrant palette of color-field painting. Yet despite their conventional subject matter, the images from Found Not Taken are deeply rooted in the specific social scenes of the urban environment. With his concentration on objects discarded on the streets of Luanda, Chagas stages a subtle critique of globalized consumerism. In quiet, uniformly framed images, he transforms fragments of architecture and unremarkable materials into mysterious icons or talismans.