The absence of human #14 utilizes zenith city photography to present metropolitan landmarks in deliberate abandonment, emphasizing how cities function as programmed human environments—every square meter designed around anticipated population density. Rey's directly overhead vantage point makes urban planning decisions starkly visible: sidewalk widths seem excessive, intersection complexity appears absurd, parking infrastructure looks dystopian. The work demonstrates that cities stripped of congestion paradoxically make invisible urban chaos more apparent, forcing recognition of noise pollution and sensory bombardment we unconsciously endure.
Programmed Human is a photographic project that aims to subvert the conventional perception of a bustling modern city. Through a series of cenital landscape photographs, a desolate urban sprawl is revealed, stripped of the usual rush of cars and people. The juxtaposition of emptiness against familiar urban landmarks creates a surreal setting. In this deliberate depiction of abandonment, the project highlights the chaotic and congested symphony that typically envelops city life but often goes unnoticed. The absence of human activity in the images represents the ultimate paradox. By removing the typical visual and auditory markers of a crowded city, the project exposes the invisible layers of noise and disruption that permeate our urban existence.
The absence of human #14 zenith city photography reveals programmed urban environment—uninhabited landmarks exposing metropolitan design. From Programmed Human. Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach.
Zenith City Photography – Absence of Human by Javier Rey
The absence of human #14, 2023
From the Programmed Human series
Metallic archival pigment print
Limited Edition.
Unframed
Javier Rey is a Colombian artist and photographer. His work has been shown in many collective exhibitions, solo exhibitions, and several international art fairs such as ArtLima (Peru), Scope Art Fair (Miami), and La Feria Del Millón (Colombia). Rey's work has also appeared in books such as "Unlocked", by the Greek collective Atopos, and was chosen as one of the 145 most relevant visual artists and photographers on the web in 2015. His work have been featured in several publications in Colombia, the USA, Mexico, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and other countries.
