Feminism

"does the camera sustain and perpetuate certain kinds of viewing relations that reflect an unequal order of sexual and social relations?"

The self portraits/film stills of Cindy Sherman are extremely influenced by feminism, mainly because of the time when she produced them, the world was a very male-dominated place.

  In her films, she played roles of 'the domestic goddess' and 'the sex symbol'. They always seem have the look/feel of helplessness and/or vulnerability to them, which I think is very clever. Even if she is playing a 'sex symbol' she still has this vulnerability to her which grabs your attention because sexy and vulnerable work so well together, but are so unusual and not expected.

I like Sherman's work, she has been one of my favourite artists for quite a while now. I love her "i don't give a shit" attitude to life, which shines through brilliantly in her work, which will be recognized and appreciated so much more than it already is (if possible) because of growing feminist followers.

Sherman's work is rarely titled, and that makes her work so much more powerful. If titles were involved then it would force the viewer to feel/see something that they might not of necessarily felt if the image was left untitled. I also love this about her, this means everyone can make up their own mind on what Sherman was thinking/portraying when she produced the photograph.

I just wanted to quickly add "The Guerilla Girls" into this blog, because I think they're brilliant. They dress up in gorilla outfits, and take one name each of a dead female artist to promote them.

They raise issues, for example, about the fact that when "art" began, why were there no female artists recognized? how come it was all men? (e.g. Micheal Angelo, Vincent Van Gogh) why weren't women selected?

"We’re feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. How do we expose sexism, racism and corruption in politics, art, film and pop culture? With facts, humor and outrageous visuals. We reveal the understory, the subtext, the overlooked, the and the downright unfair."

The Guerilla Girls (http://www.guerrillagirls.com/)

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

Nan&Brian (who she loved very dearly) in bed

Nan, after Brian beat her up

  Nan Goldin is best known for the huge success of the 'Ballad of Sexual Dependency' - a photographic account of her friends, lovers and real life while living in New York, presented in a slide show fashion, and accompanied by music.  

I'm trying desperately to reframe from beginning a paragraph with the words "I love Nan Goldin"... but I'm finding it extremely difficult, so, to hell with it...

I love Nan Goldin! I love how her work is so raw and non-staged. I love how she has photographed the bad times aswell as the good, and how bare and honest her photographs are. Every single photograph screams emotion, and that just makes me so passionate about this art, she makes me passionate about this art. 

I think it is really brave and clever to include your friends and/or lovers in your photographic work because it adds that extra spark when you know that these photographs are real life, its like a secret open window into a complete stranger's life, which now I read that sentence back over, sounds like some sort of definition for "paparazzi", 

"They don't understand that it's not about a style or a look or a setup. It's about emotional obsession and empathy."

Nan Goldin

but Goldin's work is so much more extreme and interesting (obviously) than some snap-happy pap, even if her work has been described as "snap-shot",  the underground film and story telling nature of her shots make them one of a kinds, and so addictive. Her subjects are only 'famous' to her, not the rest of the world. They arent super models or actresses, they are just the people who make up her life, who now also make up some of the most influencial photographs of time.

Since the Ballad of Sexual Dependancy, Goldin continues to document her life through photograph, with the help of friends and lovers, but there is a change of tone in her work, since she moved to Europe and lost many of her dear friends to AIDs.

"Kathe in the tub"

"I used to think I couldn't lose anyone if I photographed them enough. I used photography to stave off loss. But with the recent deaths of many of my friends I realized the limits of what can be preserved."

Nan Goldin

This is my favourite photograph of Nan Goldin's. It looks like a typical sunny day at the beach, and reminds me of home. I love the way she is shielding her eyes from the bright sky and the fact she has sunglasses on. I also love the use of primary colours in this photograph; the red of her trousers, the green of her cardigan/jacket and the yellowness of the mickey mouse (cute!) magazine.

Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" )

So, we all jumped on a coach and slowly, but surely, rolled up to the streets of Derby where the "International Photography Festival - PHOTOCINEMA" was being held.

I am terrible at life when hungry, and also terrible at map-reading full-stop (there were different exhibitions dotted about Derby that you ahd to find yourself) so James, Emma&I had a quick Nando's lunch and then trotted off to the first show.

I viewed some awesome work that day, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm going to talk about a certain photographer who's work was on show in "The Quad" building. I've been quite the biggest fan for a number of years now, and was very excited to enter the room and spot hsi photographs hanging before me!

Gregory Crewdson's work tends to amaze me, full stop. I love to use alot of 'space' in my own work and he is a very big fan of it too, I think he is where I have subconciously got it from, and I thank him for it if that is the case!

The first image I have posted is my favourite. The village looks disserted, and the model looks completely possesed eventhough you can't see her fae properly. The way the light is coming through the middle of those houses, just shining on her, is amazingly beautiful but also gives me a shiver down my spine. It's almost like she can see something that we cannot, something at the opposite end of the road that she is staring down. I desperately want to know what it is....if anythnig at all!

On the second image, the contrast in colour between the sky, the buildings and the snow on the ground gripped me straight away. I love the way the lamp post's bulb is not on, but there is light coming from somwhere else further back in the photograph.

On the third image, again Crewdson has mastered the art of 'space'. i love how the black car is randomly 'parked' in the middle of the puddle filled carpark and there are two yellow cars either side of it. the black car looks as if someone has abandonned it, like they saw something amazing and had to stop the car and get out to have a better look. The yellow cars are parked properly. I love the way the girl is just stood, again looking lost and staring at something/someone that we cannot see. There is so much wonder, and so many unanswered questions to these photographs, I love it, this way I can make up my own mind.