Body Sculture

The “Body/Sculpture” series started in the studio where Breder’s earlier river photographs had left off, again using a mirrored surface to create a connection between space, body, and the fragmentation of form. Breder saw the work in the context of classical sculpture and dance as well as body art and performance, and from a historical point of view these works can be seen as an important part of the development of the synergy of these new disciplines. Mirrors play a special role in Breder’s work – not only dissolving the boundaries of space but disorienting the observer’s view. This breaking up of borders – reflecting the limits of human perception – is an important feature of Breder’s artwork.

After the studio works, Breder returned to photographing in nature, both in Iowa and on annual trips to Mexico where his models were dancers and where he shot film and video of Mendieta. Using single figures and groups Breder continued to “remove the barrier between the real and the looking glass world” until by 1973, Breder felt he had exhausted the possibilities of the Body/Sculpture series.