Liu Xiaodong - Migrations

This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting an art and photography exhibition by Liu Xiaodong at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The exhibition, entitled Migrations explored the lives of Asian communities living in Prato as well as current European migrants.

A video introducing the exhibition shows some of the issues he had while researching for the project. Many Chinese migrants would not allow him into their homes due to differing impressions they promote to the outside world and those back home. Often squeezed into tiny, shared homes, many would wear designer clothes and drive expensive cars while working long, unsociable hours necessary to pay for this lifestyle.

‘Migrants are bursting with hope and energy yet at the same time they are weighed down by anxiety and loss.’

Xiaodong spent time with refugees traveling across Europe, trying to find a safe haven. His exhibition displayed photographs that he had taken along the way, which would then be arranged and compiled into paintings. It was interesting to see this process of photographing several real moments being used to create an almost real image, parts that the artist found pleasing to put together to create a complete image.

While viewing this work, I thought about the news surrounding Steve McCurry and his Photoshopped images, the responsibility placed on documentary photographers to create images that are real and the trust that is broken when discovered otherwise. I was drawn to the freedom enjoyed by Xiaodong, his chosen medium allowing him to display the world, as he perceives it.

http://www.palazzostrozzi.org/mostre/liu-xiaodong-is-coming-to-florence/?lang=en

https://eightartgallery.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/liu-xiaodong-new-show-called-migration/

http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/chinese-artist-liu-xiaodong-poses-during-the-media-preview-news-photo/522814114

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3553107/A-Chinese-eye-delivers-new-perspectives-Europes-migrant-crisis.html

http://www.theflorentine.net/events-articles/2016/04/best-events-florence-april-21-27/

The Guggenheim Collections

I experienced my first exhibition of modern art this summer at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, ‘From Kandinski to Pollock - The Art of the Guggenheim Collections’. In the past, I have never really understood modern art, I have always just seen it as pretty patterns with no understanding of the concept.

I am unsure what made me enjoy this exhibition so much; my emotions were heightened due to being away without my children, it was my first day surrounded by the beauty of Florence and so far, I had found it quite overwhelming. Four years into studying photography, I have also started to look at art in a different way so now have some understanding of the effects that particular colours and shapes can have in an image.

I am still not sure that understand modern art completely but I was definitely emotionally drawn to particular images, the most surprising being Mist by Adolph Gottleib. Looking at the two splats of light and dark online now, feels less impressive, however viewing it full size in the setting of such a fine gallery, I felt simultaneously pushed and pulled to and from the image; the feeling was quite powerful.

I also enjoyed discovering the method used by Max Ernst, in using the lines left by rope dropped onto a surface to create work such as Il Bacio.

‘Ernst uses a network system coordinated to carry over its rope configurations on the canvas, thus bringing these random effects to a conscious manipulation.’

It reminded me of the childhood pastime of scribbling on a doodle pad and making it into a picture; in fact the game probably came from people imitating this method.

It was fascinating to see works from Lichtenstein, Pollock and Rothko in all their glory and quite surreal to be so close you could touch them.

http://www.palazzostrozzi.org/mostre/guggenheim-2/?lang=en

http://gottliebfoundation.tumblr.com/post/142299817548/adolph-gottlieb-mist-1961-from-now-until-july

http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/collections/artisti/dettagli/opere_dett.php?id_art=58&id_opera=126

Photography Matters Symposium

The Photography Matters symposium in Doncaster was my first official OCA visit, featuring five speakers from within the OCA. Content was extremely varied, covering technical, physical and social aspects of photography and how it has been used over time. The two speakers that resonated with me the most were Les Monaghan and Dawn Woolley; both speakers spoke of issues I felt connected to and have made me think differently about the power photography can have on both the conscious and subconscious mind.

Les Monaghan - Is it fair?

The question asked from Les, using Don McCullin’s shell shocked soldier as an example. Les has experienced at least one circumstance in which he chose not to press the shutter mainly due to a feeling that his creation of the image didn’t feel fair on the people in question.

Les spoke of his latest work, The Desire Project; a piece in which he asked customers of a local shopping centre, ‘What do you want?’ Although the question was asked to individual shoppers, as they hang on the wall side by side, collective themes of health, happiness, acceptance and community shine through.

Les thought deeply about fairness in the creation of this series; while viewing the work on the walls of the shopping centre, he discussed his methods and ,motivations. All shoppers who took part in the project chose to take part, knowing exactly how and where their images would be displayed. A lot of time was given to actually think about the question and how they would like to answer it. Les made sure that whatever answer the shopper gave, they fully understood that this statement would be on the wall directly under their feet.

The final selection of over seventy images was chosen by Les, which could have lead to a biased leaning towards his chosen sentiments. We were told, however that most of the portraits that didn’t make it to the wall were very similar to those that did, if anything, there was a larger sway to those wanting world peace; a sentiment which filled a large proportion of the series anyway.

To hear Les discuss his work in the Frenchgate Shopping Centre, while viewing his work and shoppers who could have potentially been part of the work walked past was the highlight of the day for me. I came away with a good insight into who Les Monaghan is, what he feels passionate about and how he uses that passion in his photography.

Dawn Woolley

As Dawn began discussing her work, I got the feeling that it was going to be a fairly uninspiring piece, wrapped up in very flowery language. The language remained flowery but I was very wrong about the content; in fact the only reason I couldn’t wait until the end was to get outside and discuss it further with other students.

Having teenaged children as well as working in a secondary school, my world is filled with stories of the micro-celebrity, although none of that generation see them this way. Having recently created a video using YouTube clips for a school assembly, it was clear from the reactions of three hundred fifteen year olds that these people are known to EVERYONE; well, as long as you’re under twenty.

As Dawn suggested, using Rachel Wong as an example, the filter we have all developed to enable us to ignore adverts is being bypassed as advertising gets sneaky. Micro-celebs chat as if they are your best friend, telling you about the latest lipstick they just bought. This tactic echoes in my family life as my daughter’s favourite micro-celebs, The Sidemen chat in their gaming videos about going for a cheeky Nando’s, vlogging their visits to such places, wearing particular brands which their fans love to follow; and it’s possible too because they just dropped into the conversation the shop they bought it from.

Dawn also used the advertising of Dolce and Gabbana to highlight how they use the selfie in their advertising. Models, both male and female are captured in a slightly parodic street scene, performing very cliched activities which younger generations connect with such as taking selfies. Dawn’s analysis of the situation is that the act of the models taking the selfie connects the scene to the viewer’s world. The viewer imagines their own self in the phone screen, wearing the model’s outfits and accessories, living their life. The act of taking selfies is so prevalent now that everyone can connect with this scene, no matter what their lifestyle or hobbies and interests.

Willy Ronis

“By magnificently harmonizing artistic rigor with a celebration of life, his photography offers a unique vision, one that combines emotion with reserve, humanism with technical mastery. Few photographers are in a position to teach us as much as Willy Ronis.” Dhouailly & Cie

Ronis travelled little, mainly photographing the local people living in and around the Belleville-Ménilmontant region of Paris which he knew well. Having experience in wedding and christening photography, Ronis loved the spontaneity of documenting everyday life. His most famed image, however is ‘Nu Provençal’, a nude of his wife, Marie-Anne Lansiaux, bending over a sink in a rustic bathroom.

‘Le Bateau Mouche’ by Willy Ronis shows a couple relaxing on a boat as they sail past iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower; the man’s pose reminiscent of a cruise down the river, watching the world go by, although the woman looks slightly uncomfortable. The couple’s close contact fits with the Parisian landmark, giving a romantic feel to the image.

Ronis shows another couple taking advantage of their high vantage point from a tall building, taking in the view of the Paris cityscape. Ronis has used the technique of shooting from behind the couple to bring cohesion to the image. Being behind the couple, we see what they are seeing, giving an insight into their personal experience. Again, I am struck by the woman’s body language; the straight back and hand placed on her hip slightly jarrs the otherwise romantic scene.

Walter Bibikow

Walter Bibikow is a travel photographer based in Boston, MA, USA. His destination photography is supplied to stock photo agencies as well as buyers worldwide. Spending half of his year traveling, Bibikow really captures the essence of the places he visits.

In a bid to develop my own personal voice, I often worry about a need to compromise my style in order to fit the client’s needs. Although Bibikow has a well-developed personal style, he speaks about photographing the locations he visits in many ways to fit with the needs of several types of client, from advertising art directors to travel editors.

His work has been used in many different publications and travel magazines.

Alex Treadway

Alex Treadway’s journal shows a rich and varied experience, traveling the world, photographing people and places for organisations such as Independent Magazine, Marks & Spencer and National Geographic. His passion for travel and remote cultures is clear in his work.

 

Project: Afghanistan

Treadway was commissioned for his project on Afghanistan to capture people’s every day working lives for a book about life in the Himalayas. A combination of portraits and larger landscapes incorporating workers shows a varied, yet cohesive view through the eyes of a worker. The overall feeling I get from these images is of a journey from the growing of crops, to the creation of products and finally to the sale of local produce in markets and shops. Although the land appears dry and barren on some of the larger landscapes, other images show fresh and healthy produce displayed alongside proud and happy workers. The feeling of independence and pride is reflected in the low and wide perspective often used for portrait images.

Thomas Ruff

A Google Image search for Thomas Ruff initially brings up a sea of faces in images reminiscent of the passport photo; similarity in crop and facial expression unites the images as a set. Unlike some of the work Ruff is known for such as domestic interiors and private sexual acts, these passport style images are intentionally unglamorous and ordinary, the subjects devoid of expression. The images were initially in black and white but Ruff eventually switched to colour.

Image search showing Thomas Ruff with some of his Porträts

Ruff used the Porträts to suggest that it is not possible to represent a subject’s inner life through photography. Although I am not convinced that this is true, it does open up the question of how much we can actually show about a person through photography. Yousuf Karsh, believed that when shooting at precisely the right moment, a man’s soul and spirit could be reflected in his eyes, his hands and his attitude. I also believe this to be true.

The more we pose a subject in photography, the less of his or her own personality we reveal. Ruff had posed his subjects for these images, even to the extent of instructing them on facial expression. I feel that this posing and instruction is what leads to the inability to extract any inner life, when caught unaware, a subject’s life and soul can shine through.