So if I haven't already consumed at least 20 seconds of your life this morning by posting this photo on my facebook, I'm about to consume a few minutes more to elaborate on an interesting trend in advertising and media. But we will start with this Dove VisibleCare advertisement, because... let's face it, it's kinda, well, f*cked up... and an excellent example of what not to do in the 21st century.
I'm certainly no biomedical engineer (nice switch-up from rocket scientist), but the plus size black model appears to begin the Dove VisibleCare regimen as seen under the word "before" and after her transition from a Latina woman, finishes off as a blonde, skinny white woman as seen under the word "after."As a photographer, I would find it very difficult to completely overlook all the details in the above photo. It's almost like a road map to fitness, lightness, and smooth skin. And despite how boring the overall ad really is, in exactly 5 seconds an eyebrow went up. How many designers and art directors had to look over this thing? I'm talking about the people who are hired to give these ads the evil-eye.
Galvon Laessig from Buzzfeed says, "Dove vehemently denies this ad was intended to be racist. Unintended racism isn't much better."
I agree.
Now, to expand on the black to white transition... I'm looking at you, Michael...(dead people jokes=bad). No, seriously. What's going on with Beyonce? Black in real life. White on paper. I was walking through the subway the other day when I noticed what appeared to be a white Beyonce ad. Actually, that's exactly what it was. I couldn't find the subway ad I saw, but I'll use Loreal as the guinea pig here:
Over the last couple of weeks, I've found myself at a stand-still with my photography. So I have done the unthinkable and decided to "take a break" from my male nudes series and pursue photographing the women in my family for the time being. Although I rarely discuss my family history, current situations and so on, documenting some of my folks actually has much to do with my interest in photographing men in the first place. For the most part, relationships with men have been rocky ones and have influenced every woman in my family on various levels. In retrospect, I strongly connect my male nudes series to the roots of my southern family and how women are expected to act or be treated around the household.
This past weekend, I decided to take a trip to Alabama to spend some time with my great grandmother and relatives out in the middle of nowhereville. So, I come to document my family and as I'm sitting in the living room, something runs into the house! Well, luckily I was present because apparently no one thought anything of what sounded like a crater landing in the front yard. So... one of the joys of being a photographer....
What landed on the front porch? Oh, that was a car. And then there was the guy wedged into it. Well, I did call 911. And then? I snapped some photos. I have never been this up close to someone nearly dead! I hope the guy lived because that was one hell of a scary sight. After a couple of hours and a team of about 40 people, the guy was lifeflown to the Birmingham hospital.
So I went to Alabama to photograph family and I came back with this:
I'm not sure it really goes with the family series, but it has to count for something!
Illegal Immigration is one of those topics up there with Gay Marriage and Health Care when it comes to debatable issues going on in politics right now. As a result of my previous post on political and economic chaos, I would like to go on to say that photography, or any kind of art for that matter, truly can have an impact when it comes to political movements or revolutions. While there are many examples of art changing stuff, I'm here to mention a particular current-day project that has been planted in my mind for quite some time.
While I am rather biased when it comes to illegal immigration, I know many people, friends and family members (ahem, hi mom) that would argue for days, weeks, months, and/or years that immigration hurts Americans and our money. We have gangs, less job opportunities, unpaid taxes, and ah... what's the word? Terrorism. All because of illegal immigrants coming into the US chasing that American dream. Unless, of course, they are wanting to destroy it with bombs and so on. Although, I'm partially convinced we can take care of that part ourselves with the help of fabulous leaders such as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
Personally, I have lost, or at least become greatly distanced from one of my best friends due to these wacky, senseless, yet logical(?) laws. It's not only painful for his family and friends here in the US with consideration that he has been here since childhood, but he is now (basically) alone wavering between Ukraine and Russia. I get to frequently hear the battle he's been living through and the pain and confusion that comes along with it. I've even shed a few, hell, a lot of tears myself. But I will say that while he was here, he was an extremely hard worker and union member. He even helped build Hotlanta's very own Atlantic Station. He even paid taxes(!), that crazy immigrant.
However, when referring to "Illegal Immigrants", I believe it's safe to say that what most Americans actually mean is Hispanics, generally in reference to Mexicans.
Backpack Scars, 2009
All that being said, photographer David Taylor might give us a bit of insight into illegal immigration and all that entails from the United States Border. Taylor has taken his camera down to the US/Mexican border to document the area between El Paso/Juarez and Tijuana/San Diego in developing his series Working the Line. While Taylor's project began as an effort to document monuments that mark the international boundary west of the Rio Grande, the series has since extended to include his encounters with migrants, smugglers, Border Patrol, minutemen and residences of the borderlands. All of which, 99% of Americans have never and will never see. I would agree with Taylor in saying that these are locations and situations that most people have not accessed and, therefore, do not consider when debating and ranting about those "border jumpers".
Apprehension, 2008
In retrospect, these images are extremely powerful to those of us who don't really know and understand the personal struggles, journeys, and risks these people take when they decide that America is where they want/need to be. Taylor gives us a first-hand look into the world of immigrants and border patrol, allowing us to have an impersonal connection to these people and what the hell is actually going on. The journey is a long one and very few actually make it across. Not to mention, most of these men and women are coming here to help their families back home. I don't know if you've ever taken a family road trip in a car, but try taking your entire family backpacking through the desert and hoping they survive. Yeah, look's like you might be traveling alone. The American Dream that most of these people are chasing are closely related to how America was founded in the first place. Don't believe me? In the American Dream, first expressed by James Truslow Adams in 1931,
Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Let's not forget to mention the Native Americans annihilated along the way in order to establish this so-called American Dream (I am proud, yet saddened, to say that I personally have strong Cherokee roots).
So, the American Dream is an effort to suggest that the United States of America is a place where all men are treated equally and are endowed with inalienable Rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Oh, and by the way, the original Declaration of Independence said "life, liberty and property." And by property, Jefferson meant access to wealth, money and the right to own land. But then we decided that sounded bad (especially when we discuss slavery), so we called it happiness instead. Unless you're an illegal immigrant according to the US government, you're created equal. Even though all Americans are immigrants, which I'm certain isn't a surprise to any of you.
Is immigration an easy fix? Of course not. I would be an idiot to sit here and say we can all hold hands and sing songs of peace to make the bad times go away. As we all know, terrorism tends to be frowned upon and our secured borders are, in part, a result of that. But are we handling it the right way? Should we break apart families and destroy lives for people who are actually helping us prosper? And while I have not included supporting statistics and studies to show that there are actually benefits to having immigrants (stay tuned), you may be surprise to find out that if we were to actually deport all of the illegal immigrants from the present day, the US economy would literally crash.
Awaiting Processing, AZ, 2007
I believe David Taylor's photographs can, at the very least, help us view the Illegal Immigration issue from a different angle. He does appear to have an unbiased approach to his photographs and presents an opportunity for us to learn.
"Who's using who? What should we do? Well, you can't be a pimp
and a prostitute too."
First and foremost, if Justin Timberlake was really Banksy, I might give up making art altogether. Then again, it might be genius. However, I really don't want to go there because if JT really does turn out to be Banksy, I'll be continuing this conversation with a psychologist years down the road.
So, now that's out of the way and I've recovered from a minor heart attack...
In other news, I'm deciding to not write about art, Atlanta, or any other shenanigans this week and touching onto a more serious topic: The State of Things in the world right now.
Forget about art and Oscars for a minute (although both make for an entertaining distraction) and let's take a look into the titles of New York Times articles posted this past week:
So, in short, I'm not completely focused on art right now because I'm not sure there is going to be a world to exhibit it in over the coming years. Besides, these events could potentially change the art market as we know it. In fact, it already has. Dramatic? Maybe. Serious? Well, kinda. It's important to get your head out of the sand for a minute and look around at other issues taking place globally and even within our very own country. Gas prices are rising due to the political unrest going on in the Middle East. Not to mention, we're still having issues from oil we spilled from here in the U.S. Yes, We: You, Me , and Everyone We know (unless you're someone that's surviving without relying on any oil at all; supply/demand). The political uprising over in the Middle East is still out of control. We even have protestors here in America! This past week in Madison, Wisconsin, over 100,000 people gathered to protest for workers rights. So many things are going on right now, that if I tried to sit here and list them all, you would have forgotten the Oscars already. And hopefully Justin Timberlake attempting to be Banksy as well.
It's getting pretty difficult to ignore the fact that sooner or later, everyone in the world could be affected by the economical, political, and even ecological imbalance nearing its tipping point if, in fact, it hasn't already been reached. And is it just me or have you noticed more and more people finally talking about it? Okay. It’s possible that I’m really dramatizing all of these coincidental events and occurrences and everything (or everyone, shall we) will fall back into place in the near future. Me, personally? I have my doubts that all of these current issues will go away quickly and easily.
Is the end of the world as we know it finally arriving? I'm tuning in. Not that I'm opposed to a more modest number for the human population.
Who knows, maybe Justin Timberlake will reveal himself as Banksy and start some mass political movement to better the world through his art and music. No?
And so maybe I haven't fully recovered from JT's bad joke. But on a serious note, people should definitely start checking up on current issues in the world. And if you feel inspired... hey, make art. At the very least, check out some of the above links.
First Image courtesy of Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
Second image courtesy of Karim Sahib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
As the debate on Facebook continues to grow and its ability to own images of work and what-have-you comes up for debate, another topic quickly surfacing is Facebook's ability to decide what's acceptable and what's not when it comes to online communication and/or "culture." Now, I'm not one to condone posting pictures of sexually loaded imagery on Facebook (...or am I?), but one thing certainly raises an eyebrow: who gets to decide what is and isn't art? And should we be able to post it online?
Well, to me this seems like an obvious answer. Personally, as a creator of nude art and especially the kind that includes the goods, I'm constantly second-guessing what I can post when it comes to Facebook, blogs, or any social media for that matter. It is my right as an artist to be able to show and discuss my work and what better way to do so than with say, Blogger or Facebook (please view previous post)? So, I choose not to put up the 18 or older warning on my blog. As a victim of censorship and a proponent of art education (even to youngsters), I choose not to censor my own work. Because it's not porn. It's art. And I believe everyone should have access to it.
However, Facebook doesn't seem to feel that way.
And the New York Academy of the Arts sets an example of what happens when Facebook decides your artwork isn't art (or at least worthy of being seen). So, this doesn't happen to everyone, but it happens to some. Which is even more questionable, if you ask me.
New York Academy of Art uploads artwork from professors and students to the college's Facebook page. The images removed include painting, drawing, and other mediums alike. Nonetheless, the school countered Facebook's actions by writing about it on their blog. According to the Academy, “As an institution of higher learning with a long tradition of upholding the art world’s ‘traditional values and skills,’ we, the Graduate School of Figurative Art, find it difficult to allow Facebook to be the final arbiter — and online curator — of the artwork we share with the world.” The college claims images of artworks have been continuously deleted from their page, leading up to a suspension of the account entirely.
So, what does Facebook have to say in response to all of this?
According to a New York Times article, Facebook claims they made a mistake. The article goes on to say that Facebook representatives affirm that "while the company bans nude photographs, the company has an unwritten policy that allows drawings or sculptures of nudes." According to Facebook spokesman, Simon Axten, "We count many amateur — and some professional — artists among our employees, and we’re thrilled that so many artists share their work on Facebook. In this case, we congratulate the artist on his lifelike portrayal that, frankly, fooled our reviewers."
Mistake? It happens all the time. The above images are pretty clearly not photographs. Needless to say, it doesn't leave much hope for the fine art photographers approaching the nude body (especially not of gentlemen). I don't feel that my personal work is sexually suggestive whatsoever and in fact, a wise man once said (I'm looking at you, Forest McMullin) that my work appears to be rather anti-sexual. However, I will personally attest to my experience with Blogger which has so far not pulled down things posted by myself or others (at least to my knowledge) and hasn't contacted me thusfar to display a warning message.
And so, the future of Facebook is still yet to be determined. Hopefully, they will realize their importance as a social media site and get their hands out of curating art. And by curating, I mean censoring.
Above drawing by Steven Assael. Above painting by Richard T. Scott.
Thanks to Claire Moynihan for forwarding the NY Times article on this. Oh, and she has a really cool blog you should check out: The Art Offensive
After all of my living room speeches (or online, for that matter) concerning the conservative south and art, I think I found some satisfaction over my weekend in Orlando and the fabulous Nude Nite I was invited to participate in. Nude Nite took place over a few nights (Thursday-Saturday) and I was highly impressed by the participation of local, national, and international artists. Reminiscent of my last weekend at Dodekapus, the event consisted of a range of art mediums, including performance, dance, and installation. Several hundreds (if not thousands) of people were in attendance over the course of the 3 evenings at a cost of $20 per ticket.
Now, again, this makes me first wonder why we don't have more art events/celebrations such as this in Atlanta. And it also gives me some insight into the interest of art patrons when it comes to the nude form.
Well, let me correct myself... Considering that I did get my male nudes invited into this thing and they did go as far as to include the penis into the show...it is still shocking to me (or, maybe not so much) that out of hundreds of artworks, I was A. 1 of maybe 3 male nudes and B. 1 of 2 penis-revealing artworks. All of the above, pretty astonishing when you sit and think about it. Although, I would have to say that I'm not necessarily of the majority by sitting and thinking about the place of the male penis in the Art-o-sphere. Nonetheless, it's extremely important to bring it up because we need to understand how this binary came to life in the first place and why or how it is sustaining itself.
As a bystander of my own photographs, I received the pleasure of hearing critics and comments of my own work. "Is that a? It is!","It's a...It's heart...wait, that's a sac, a penis!", "That's a woman, right? Well, that's hair.. and a..yes, a MAN!"
Among my personal favorites? "That over there... that's what I'm getting my girlfriend for valentines day."
So, all in all, I would conclude that there was a general reaction of joking, laughing, surprise, some disgust, some staring, and mostly shock. Which brings me to my next point: is it really funny? And is it really that shocking? Well to me personally, not really either of those things. But that is of course not the perspective of the billions of other people on the planet, in America, and especially not in the South. I don't know that I find it humorous that there is a room full of nude women on the walls and walking around (let me note the trail of photographing men that followed them) and one artist completing the latter percentage of male nudes in the entire facility.
And why don't I find it shocking that there are large, colorful photographs of male nudes in this event dedicated to NUDE art? Because according to the other 99% of the room, its pretty evident who has been in control of the art market for the past.. well, always... and I think we are officially at a time that we can talk about why. Art history lesson in less than 5 seconds: men photographed nude women, women took back their image by photographing other nude women, then a few men decided to photograph a few nude men... and now? Well it shouldn't come to a big surprise that a woman would pick up and camera and photograph a nude man. But, I'm definitely not preaching to the choir on this one.
Nude Nite? Fun, entertaining, exciting. Happy to see people celebrating the nude form. Glad it's in the South. Wish it was in Atlanta. And wish it wasn't almost only women as the spectacle. Low and behold, these guys stood their ground:
And while I'm at it, a big thank you to Jake Zobrist, Liz Turner, and Sheila Craine for making this trip amazing!
Oh and if you didn't get the chance to make it to Orlando and you either really really want to see this show or you are a Tampa local, perhaps you want to vandalize my male nudes: Nude Nite, Tampa: March 3-5, 2011
Saturday night entailed an evening of art, music, and expression as hosted by a newly developed artist collective: Dodekapus. Breaking away from traditional means of a gallery space and art celebration, Dodekapus hosted art, music, performances, and installations from many of Atlanta's finest during their event "I Can Dream All Day." I missed last year's celebration and made it a point to make sure I didn't miss this one.
Entering the Relapse Theater warehouse space, my initial experience was one that was magical. I was greeted by potions and abstract characters roaming around the crowded, bizarre environment that was Dodekapus. Perfomances included bands, DJs, dancing, gymnastics and just about any form of performance you can imagine.
The event celebrated the journey of dreaming and all of the experiences that relate to dreams including fantasy, lucid dreaming, the past, present and future, sleep paralysis, and nightmares. As one could imagine, the possibilities for the evening were endless.
Dodekapus was definitely a unique experience for Atlanta and perhaps more of what Atlantans should be embracing in the art community: Free expression, liberation of the arts, and an open mind. It does seem that our fixation on galleries and concentrated art market has yet to expand to such an area of freedom and vitality. Dodekapus offered a new insight into what's brewing around Atlanta and presents the hope that we may just be breaking out of our shell when it comes to the somewhat conservative art market that structures the community. It's about time Atlanta Artists take back their territory and make their presence reverberate throughout the city. Besides, we get to say what goes on here when it comes to what we're creating. Not the galleries. Not the buyers. The Artists.
Recently, I've thinking back to Robert Gill's project Before and After Yourself for a few months now, mostly because I couldn't remember his name and it was driving me out of my mind (albeit probably not anymore than usual) and also because it's becoming essential for many photographers to encompass the skills for video work. Gill is doing exactly this. A student of both SCAD and School of Visual Arts in New York, Gill's eye for composition translates into his arrangements for his video piece as well. For nine months, Gill worked in conjunction with nature to create his new, sculpted body. His video is both visually interesting and meditative to watch, exhibiting self-portraiture at its finest. After all, it is getting close to springtime and everyone becomes infatuated with getting those beach bodies built, so I would says it's appropriate to bring up his work as such a time as this. Not only is he thinking creatively about his video work, but he is also thinking of unique ways to shed the pounds. Defining our cultural obsession with physical appearance, Gill is using video to reveal the in-between scenes of his physical progress that links his photographs. All of the above and below catches my interest.
If you weren't out running around Atlanta this past Friday night- my advice to you: get your running shoes on and try to get out to see some of the amazing art that's featured around Atlanta throughout the coming months.
Jackson Fine Art presented a collection of works from contemporary photographer Todd Selby, alongside a little piece of history- Elliott Erwitt (and yes that is Erwitt in the above photo with yours truly). In curatorial terms, I can appreciate the combination of these two photographers. This exhibition is Todd Selby's first premiere show in Atlanta (or the US, for that matter) and Erwitt's third exhibition in Atlanta. Selby's images of "creative spaces of creative people" presented the working spaces of some of the masterminds behind companies such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Cole Haan.
His pleasantly over-sized color photographs complimented the traditional black and white documentary photos of Elliott Erwitt. Among my favorites is the image Karl. The photograph presents the working library of world-renowned fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld. Although the spaces appear to be somewhat contrived in presentation, the overall photograph is one that is visually appealing and fulfilling of the voyeuristic curiosity in all of us. In many aspects, the photographs operate as documentary portraiture and present us with an insiders look into the unique and creative environments of celebrities. Nonetheless, the interest within Selby's images relies heavily on the notoriety of his subjects and have little to do with his skill as a documentary photographer.
Such is not the case with the genius working behind the lens of Elliott Erwitt's camera. Let's face it, Erwitt appears to be at the right place at the right time... well, all of the time.
Documenting the streets and familiar faces throughout major cities around the world, Erwitt has an eye for capturing the irony of everyday situations. I had the wonderful opportunity to annoy Erwitt with stupid questions for the evening, among them being: What is your advice for living and photographing in New York? His response? "Good Luck." Something (or someone, rather) tells me my plans to live in the big Art Capital of America will be A. a pain in the ass and B. reliant on luck and talent. I'm excited.
Meanwhile, back at Georgia's Museum of Contemporary Art, Scott Belville exhibited a wonderful collection of prints and paintings pertaining to his theme for this exhibition: Trust. Now, if you know me personally, you probably know that I have a tendency to be attracted to politically challenging work and artists that likely have a loud mouth (not that I wouldn't know anything about that). Belville's work is precisely this. His collection of works for this exhibition reflect on his inability to gain trust in politics and people as they relate to the well-being of our environment, global issues, and the development of society. From the looks of the show and the "state of things" going on in the world right now, I'm not sure Belville will be finding that Trust anytime soon. However, his work is powerful in concept and his detailed handwork further reflects his talent as a fine artist.
MOCA's Movers and Shakers was also in full swing Friday night, exhibiting some of SCAD's very own talent: Ting Ying Han, Lucha Rodriguez, Omar Richardson, and Jay Fox (among several others). The show displays some of the emerging artists currently working around Atlanta and I must say, I was very impressed. Each artist had at least one piece in the show which attracted several art patrons and the "who's who" among Atlanta. If you weren't there, you should have been, because it was a great show with a great turnout. Hopefully, this means Atlanta's taste in art is on the rise and there will be many more successful shows to come.
Luckily for you fine folks, all of the shows I've talked about here will be on display until mid-late March. So, if you haven't gotten out to see them, pencil it in on your icals and smartphones and get to workin' on those art muscles.
(above image courtesy of Gene Driskell, Driskell Photography)
Oh, and if you would like your personal site linked in my blog, feel free to send me your URL.
I would like to start off discussing something I feel many students aren't getting enough of in schools (yes, including SCAD): the censorship talk. *Yawn*. Which seems evident right? Censorship is bad and most of us know it. And while it may seem like this battle has been fought and won, a glance at some recent news will tell you otherwise. Seriously, this is something as artists we obviously need to talk about. Artistic expression does, however, fall under "freedom of speech" and by all means, artists should have access to it. And, by the way, if you consider yourself an artist, you should probably care about your rights.
Onto some recent news (local and national). Here are some of the issues showing up in current press:
Cinque Hicks, one of Atlanta's notorious art critics, wrote an excellent article discussing issues currently taking place in Atlanta and at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. As Cinque mentions, Georgia's new agriculture commisioner, Gary Black, plans to remove paintings that depict slavery and partially clothed Native Americans. Clearly these paintings are applicable to the history of our region and have been present within the Department of Agriculture for several years now. Not to mention, the guy doesn't seem to have too much of a grasp on the history of the pieces and fails to communicate exactly what he believes the paintings are about. As we all know, it's not easy to talk about slavery, the annihilation of Native Americans, and not to mention: nudity. Why talk about it at all, right? So, Gary Black is the new big guy working for our state now. Art history? Who needs it.
Another point mentioned in the article, which has fully permeated art news as of late, is the National Portrait Gallery's censorship of David Wojnarowicz's video piece, "A Fire in my Belly". Wojnarowicz is a gay artist that died from an AIDS-related death in the early 90's. His piece is a dedication to his lover, Peter Hujar (if you don't know his work, you should check it out, amazing photographer, also died from AIDS). The video depicts a crucifix with ants crawling on it which the Catholic League determined was "designed to insult and inflict injury and assault the sensibilities of Christians". The Catholics cried, the gallery bent: the piece was stripped from the show. But the public wasn't going down in silence. A protest was held by over 200 people chanting and marching down New York's 5th Avenue calling for restoration of the video. The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Smithsonian Institute which sets the standards for what will and will not go into art history books in the future. Now, maybe this is just my curiosity speaking, but I would like to know who is calling the shots here and why their opinion outweighs my opinion for what goes into the history books and what doesn't. I believe what I have to say is important and that my educated opinion matters. I also believe my artwork strives to exhibit my thoughts and interests and is therefore an element of my educated opinion. In my opinion, that is.
So if I haven't already consumed at least 20 seconds of your life this morning by posting this photo on my facebook, I'm about to consume a few minutes more to elaborate on an interesting trend in advertising and media. But we will start with this Dove VisibleCare advertisement, because... let's face it, it's kinda, well, f*cked up... and an excellent example of what not to do in the 21st century.
