I create images with the notion of beauty in mind. I am a
Romantic and because of this my images take on aspects of the romantic.
To be romantic is radical.
To be beautiful is radical.
Therefore I can only surmise that my work – my photographs –
are trying to be radical.
My work takes itself very seriously.
I photograph sentimentality and other more complicated
emotions and to me this is a radical action. However it should be noted that I don’t
find myself to be a radical artist – just as artist who makes work that could
be seen as radical.
My photographs are simple and executed to the highest degree
of my ability.
I am a photographer of human moments.
I am content but my stomach still growls – this is why I
continue to make work and why my work continues to define me.
I would like to know more about why beauty and romance are radical. I appreciate that viewpoint as authentic in this statement. Perhaps look at the work of the surrealists in Africa and Europe to understand what they call "radical poetics." That might help you define that more. Also, to say a photograph is simple - maybe define what makes it simple. Simple in form, simple in meaning, simple in execution?
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the "aspects of the romantic", but would like to know more about what that means to you. You write about sentimentality as well, is that the same thing as romantic to you? What are "human moments" to you? I think it would be helpful to find more connections between the strings of thought that you have in your statement. The words/ideas that jump out to me that could use connection or elaboration on are
ReplyDelete-Romantic
-Sentimentality
-Beauty
-Radical
-Human moments
Very interesting ideas, I just want to know more about them and what they mean to you as the artist... which I know is hard since we're trying to limit our word count, but I think you can do it!
I know this is a shortened statement so for me to say that you should further define what you are stating is seemingly pointless, but I guess that's the critique I have right now for this statement. Why is beauty radical? Why is romance radical?
ReplyDeleteI'm most interested by the last three ideas of your statement:
1) "I am a photographer of human moments", being unapologetic about the quasi-documentary aspect to your work is refreshing.
2) "I am content but my stomach still growls", speaking of romance, there is something about that statement that is extremely poetic to me. I love that sentence.
3) "my work continues to define me", I wish you'd elaborate! That statement is radical in itself, but opens up the door to so many questions I have about your work. How are you a part of your work, purely inseparable from the things you create. You are an image maker, but do your images make you?
Those three thoughts could be the perfect statement for me about your work, especially as you step away from a large project and embark on something new.
P.S. This is my favorite statement of the three you've published for class.
ReplyDelete<3
Deletewhat is beauty? what is a romantic? you must define these, they problematize your statement
ReplyDeletethis is exciting text below but you don't leverage it by breaking it down a bit, thus it feels presumptuous:
To be romantic is radical.
To be beautiful is radical.
Therefore I can only surmise that my work – my photographs – are trying to be radical.
this statement reads either ironic or naive, which you are neither!
My work takes itself very seriously.
think about sentiment vs sentimentality...we can discuss this in person. why is this radical? you again are sort of peacocking without explaining...
I photograph sentimentality and other more complicated emotions and to me this is a radical action. However it should be noted that I don’t find myself to be a radical artist – just as artist who makes work that could be seen as radical.
this sentence doesn't help your viewer, it's filler
My photographs are simple and executed to the highest degree of my ability.
this sounds awful i'm afraid...we need to reword!
I am a photographer of human moments.
maybe bring in a passage from howl instead of text below?
I am content but my stomach still growls – this is why I continue to make work and why my work continues to define me.
I think this manifesto style suits your work quite well. Nevertheless, I think you can't use this format as a way to bypass developing some of these points a bit more. Particularly when you use the rhetoric of a=b=c therefore a=c to describe your work as radical. I'm not exactly sure what you yourself mean specifically by these words and such vague definition seems in contradiction to the rigorous logic you are using to develop statements about your own work (granted you take on "radical" a bit later but even there I'm still a little lost). I also have to agree with Jason (somewhat), the statement "My work takes itself very seriously" reads more as an ironic backhand than anything sincere. "My photographs are simple and executed to the highest degree of my ability", this seems superfluous. Or, if it is needed, I think I need to understand why a bit more. All this being said, the first point is extremely interesting to me. The movement from Romantic to romantic seems to signify a movement from a set of ideas that is canonized, historicized, and ultimately orthodox into a quality that can't be as easily defined by an "ism". This to me seems to really get to the bottom of some of your work. The way your art moves from an informed notion regarding social climates, identity, politics and political theory, or legislation etc into a very personal image... this comes out in the "Romantic to romantic".
ReplyDeleteI want to know in your statement...
ReplyDeletewhy you think you are a romantic or what makes you think you are? what's beauty to you.... the way you're talking about that your photographs are trying to be radical... i do not understand the 'trying' bit.... it makes me think that you're not sure that they are...
I am trying to understand why would you say that
"My work takes itself very seriously. "
which makes me question that have you compartmentalized art into different categories?...
why are you justifying that what you do is the best you do according to your ability... i don't think that you need it to say in a statement.
i want to know what makes your stomach growl to make the work about the beauty and what it means to be a romantic... what you value and how you value and about your process.