Sexuality, Documents of Contemporary Art.

Amelia Jones, (ed.) (2014) Sexuality, Documents of Contemporary Art, London: Whitechapel Art Gallery. ISBN: 978-0-85488-224-3. This book is a collection of essays and interviews. Many of the artists are involved in performance art in which they will either perform in front of a live audience or video their work. Much of the discussion is in

Summary for Part 3, “Look at Me!” – The Representation of Self.

In section 3, “Look at Me!”, I studied the subject of ‘self’ and how it has and is used and interpreted in the portrait. I learned that the idea of the ‘selfie’ goes back beyond photography. Originally the early selfies where exclusively for the rich and powerful to express wealth and more importantly, power, examples

My Tutor’s assessment – Assignment 2

In my video conference with my Tutor we discussed the style of work that I am using which is a controlled and planned method, my Tutor thought that this style worked for this project’s narrative. He could see the influence of artist such as Cindy Sherman and Jeff Wall who both create contrived pictures in

Exercise 3.2 – Four Image-Repertoires

Exploring Roland Barthes theory regarding four image-repertoires, (Barthes, 2000, p.13) I have asked my friend (Graham) to pose for me with the intention of presenting himself as, ‘who he thinks he is’, and how he wants to be perceived. Graham asked that I photograph him cleaning his shotgun, as he sees himself as an outdoors

Reading Task – The photographic works of Diane Arbus – My thoughts

Much has been said and written about Arbus and her work, but I wonder if too much has been read into her photographs?  The images used to critique her work style all appear to poses those elements of the sublime, they have that something, that punctum that Barthes coined (1) and which all photographers strive

Susan Sontag’s criticism of Diane Arbus

From On Photography, (1977) Susan Sontag, London: Penguin, pages 32-48. Untitled – 1, 1970-1971. Diane Arbus Notes & passages of interest. Sontag begins her essay comparing an exhibition of 112 photographs by Diane Arbus that was exhibited in 1972 in at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York city that drew large crowds

Katy Grannan

Katy Grannan, born 1969. An American photographer and film maker, he prefers to photograph strangers by placing adverts in newspapers asking for “people for portraits” Our Little Secret (2005) the volunteers sometimes posed nude and often chose to pose in vacant lots or rooms with low ceilings. In a similar project, Dream America, (2000) Grannan