I was lunching with a friend the other day and, as happens, we were talking about photography. During the discussion I vocalised a conflict. One I wasn't fully conscious of prior to this conversation. But the conversations you have with yourself tend to be rather one-sided and it's not until you try explaining yourself to someone else that ideas/thoughts start to crystallise. At least that's how it works with me.And the conflict? I want my pictures to mean something, to have a deeper resonance than mere surface beauty (though surface beauty is important to me also). The conflict arises in that I’m not so willing to come out and state my position. I want my work to have meaning but am ambiguous about presenting it to you.
Maybe that isn't much of an issue most of the time, but when you're working on projects becuase of the strong view you hold, then sometimes as an artist you shouldn't be afraid to say where you're coming from. I think, after our lunch, that I am now more willing forego ideas of subjectiveness, to present a stronger point of view and damn the consequences.
I believe that much of my (exhibited) work has a political – for want of a better word – viewpoint, but it isn’t necessarily obvious and may only exist for me because I know why I took those images. Sometimes the ‘politics’ only becomes clear to me sometime later, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there all along.
Maybe all of this is completely irrelevant to the viewer, but I know I have been struggling with issues all year, though I couldn’t say what or why. It's probably just the usual artist struggle, which is always there but just manifests itself in different ways. Now, at least, I think I know some of it.
And maybe I've created this conflict myself by wanting the viewer to 'understand' my work without giving them (m)any hints as to what there is to understand. Do I expect to much from people? Probably, yes.
So look out for blatant, in-your-face, let’s-tackle-the-big-issues photography from me in the future. Probably not so much on this blog – I’m still favouring it as a vehicle of documenting my various injuries (physical only) – but out there on the streets, in galleries and … um … in my head.
Oh, and I guess by now you worked out the conflict has nothing to do with me and the church. I know where I stand on that one.
I just don't know where I stand with myself.
7 comments:
Hey that is good news. I don't think things need to be slap in the face kind've thing, but you have operated on the slight side of subtle for a while, it'd be nice to see a slighter stronger side come out!
but my art is all about the subtle. see you just don't get it!! or me!!!
Oh get over it, you're an artist, people arn't supposed to get you.
At least that's what you told me anyhow.
yeah, people aren't supposed to get YOU.
they're supposed to get ME!!
Great post Andy. And I know what you mean.
Subtext, multiple readings, whatever people want to call them are interesting things. Sometimes I wonder if I'm to subtle, other times I think am I slapping people in the face.
Is your work any less important because people don't get it? How many people look at renaissance art and understand the symbolism that is part of the work? Most would look at it as an aesthetically pleasing painting or sculpture, or whatever without having a clue what else was going on. Is that bad? Not in my mind. And for those that do pick up on what you are saying, then that is sweeter still for both the viewer and the artist.
Tena koe ehoa
Damn I knew I'd be missing some good shit here!!
I like "your self impersonation" Andy and what's more I like the way you make it visible in an ambigious manner! Yeah.... ya' get me?
I think I came here once before and in response to you posting an image and implying that it was kind of "noted photographers_name like", I replied by saying that I come here to view your photographic expression, not your impression of another photographers photographic expression! .... and I'm not even trying to be ambigious here.
I can say wth some sense of relativity (and conversely with no idea of what you're talking about at all) I know and understand the mental conflict that rages in your mind and the "thoughts on top of thoughts" you have about photography. The nature of photography, your explicit relationship to it and the manner in which you convey, expressed and visually engage people with this very medium. Is it the vehicle of engagement you had percieved it to be and does this freakin' ride have a F-N destination? (a level of comprehendible understanding on a par with what we as photographers intended or hoped for?)
I suppose you've pondered the concept of human reality that presumes, not everyone thinks the same? And in pondering and finding that awareness have perhaps come to some sort of compromise in knowing that your photography though full of personal integrity, consciousness, emotive evocation, social and political issues and visually engaging qualities, might never be seen as you consciously and subconsciously would like it to be seen.
For me though Andy and knowing the frailties of humanity and the associated limited psyche I firmly believe that that doesn't negate the intention or purpose of your photography to confront peoples minds any lesser than when it was first conceptualised by you!
What it does do though, (according to my own purely subjective reasoning) is let us know that photography is a timeless concept of visual engagement that is forever being comprehended! It might be comprehended today, a week from now, 10 months from now or even a hundred years from now!
But I think, once again (according to my own purely subjective reasoning) as long as we confront people with visual questions and answers perhaps then, photography is at a point where it's integrity is more applicable to our intentions than we could have ever realised?
For me your photography and the photography of all the other photographers whose work I peruse means something! It may mean something different to me than to you but invariably it means something to me. (You can use that as some sort of acknowledgement if you like)
I think you raise another point that is all too dependant on the manner in which images you capture and show as a photographer are recieved and interpreted, that is that You have an indelible understanding and a relationship of the moment!
I don't think you expect too much from people any more than any other artist Andy in that I think you expect more from yourself and percieve that as expectation of others, at least that's the impression I'm getting from you conversation.
thanks so much ndiginiz, i think that's the most intelligent statement this blog has seen. i'm printing that out and carrying it around so i can keep coming back to it.
i have kinda decided that i will always feel conflicted about photography - about my approach and the response i get - but the important thing is that i know why i am doing it, and that i respond accordingly.
anyway thanks again for you great thoughts, and for taking the time to share them.
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