R. Christian Egger says his four photographic collages within Baird Center titled Photographic Collages are curiosities. They embody his love and respect for the land and his pursuit of self-discovery– portraying himself in the art.

Egger is seen lying in a field in Brain Pictured in Green, I Dream.

“I am a cheap model and I am always available,” Egger said.

Egger sees the works as acts of soul-searching.

“I think that you are always trying to figure yourself out and find the meaning of life,” Egger said.

Egger says his imagery is an experience to be shared.

“A shadow in the collage could just as well be the person viewing the work. They could be the one laying in the grass. They could be the photographer,” Egger said.

Egger’s joy comes from the alteration of a photograph, layering meaning by superimposing images and textures and painting on color. He may combine dichotomous images to make a statement about the human condition. He uses framing and matting as part of the composition of the work, creating a coordinate system and structure for it.

In his piece, Love is Enough, Egger says, “You can imagine yourself actually walking through the woods, feeling what you feel when you are in the woods.”

He feels great pleasure in having his work exhibited publicly and having people look at it, either liking it or not liking it, but trying to put themselves into the artist’s perspective.

Photographic Collages is part of the art from the Burke Collection donated to the Midwest Express Center in 1998.