From his Los Angeles studio, artist Elliott Hundley describes an interest in evoking intense emotions through collage and photography. Inspired by opera’s use of highly artificial conventions to elicit an emotional response, Hundley describes his own work as being “imaginary operas.” In contrast to this goal, the artist uses collage as a foil because of its straightforward and recognizable qualities.

“[Collage] is resonant because it is made of the stuff that we see everyday, so it’s familiar,” says Hundley. “It reflects our reality.” Hundley is shown at work in his Los Angeles studio, taking staged photographs of a close friend. The resulting images from this and other photo shoots are then incorporated into Hundley’s collages. “What’s important to me about including my friends and family is that it raises the stakes, that they’re not just images.”