Undergraduate Reviews of Exhibitions and Lectures

This post is to be used by undergraduate students for reviews of exhibitions and lectures.

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[Joy Larson]

I ventured over to the Wisconsin Academy, otherwise known as the Steenbock Center, to see what they were showing in their gallery. The show is called Topos and it is the work of Thomas Ferrella. The focus of this body of work is land art.
The subject for most of the photographs is geometric shapes made out of natural objects in the environment of the photo. For instance, "portugese nest" is an arrangement of different colored shells in such a way as to look like a flower or the sun. "Sandball" is a large sphere of sand inside of a large bowl made in the sand. The shadow makes an interesting shape in the sand bowl.
Shadow is also a recurring theme in these photographs. The composition of "primal self" is a human sized perfectly curved mound of sand with sand sphere on top of it and a full human shadow being cast on the mound.
The most beautiful photographs in my opinion were "reed ladder" and "scattered reeds" both of these photographs were reeds floating on water with the reflection of land and sky. The effect of "reed ladder" is like a distorted image of a floating ladder in the sky. The vibrant colors of the land and sky are what really attracts me to these two photos. "Scattered reeds" has a similar effect as "reed ladder" but the reeds are scattered in a kind of structural fashion, creating several triangles and parallelograms. The sky reflection in this photograph turns into a purple at the top and adds a really nice gradient to the whole composition.
Overall the concept for this show seems to be rather basic and somewhat whimsical. It is clear that the artist creates art out of what is in front of him in a given environment. The designs show a fascination with patterns recurrent in nature. The feeling of the work is clear and cohesive and well executed. The aesthetics of the designs and knowledge of how they came about is really all one needs to get out of Topos.

[Lauren Morrison]

Artist Lecture Response

I attended an artist lecture by Kalup Linzy on Tuesday, April 7th. Kalup Linzy is a video and performance artist from New York City. His work primarily explores gender, race, class, love, and sexuality. In his videos he plays out personal melodramas with a series of extravagant characters that he plays himself and revisits throughout different films and performances. He does all the voices for all the characters—including characters played by actors other than himself, who lip sync to prerecorded dialogue.
After the lecture I also went to a performance by Linzy at the Memoral Union. I’m glad I attended the performance, because in his lecture I wasn’t able to really appreciate Linzy’s work. The video clips that he showed looked like the type of material you see in some more clever internet videos, but nothing so spectacular. I think his work is much more powerful when he combines his video with live performance, as he did in the second half of his performance.
In his performance at the Union, he started out by screening a twenty-minute drama, which focused on love and relationships and sexual identity. Most all of his material focuses on relationships and sexual identity, but the video he showed to open his performance was different than those he showed in lecture because was a higher budget production, using more convincing sets and actors. He mentioned in the lecture that for most of his videos he wanted a shakier, off-Hollywood feel, and that it is part of his concept. Somehow being so aware of the constructed nature of the scenes made it harder for me to appreciate some of those videos, however; and in contrast I really enjoyed the film Linzy screened to open his performance.
After the film, Linzy came on stage to perform. He wore a leotard and a wig and performed a series of songs in the persona of one of the characters that he has developed in the course of his career. As he sang, video ran behind him on a big screen of himself as different characters from his repertoire, but most predominately as the character he was concurrently acting out on stage. The clips he played and sang along with came out as a cross between music videos and youtube home productions; but the shakiness of the camera work was not distracting in the context of a live performance.
I appreciate how he has infused his self-depreciating, satirical, both trite and tragic work into the world of high art. It references pop culture in its style and subject matter, but stays fresh with extravagant, dramatic characters that still manage to retain the viewer’s sympathy. On the surface it seems like something that has been done a thousand times all over the internet, but it has a depth that becomes clear upon closer inspection, and is greatly enhanced when he performs in person.

[Lauren Morrison]

Exhibition

On May 4th, I went to see the opening of the video exhibition “Swine Flu Fever,” created by Mary Beth Johnson and three other art students at UW. For their show at the 734 Gallery, they had two videos projecting life-sized people on opposite walls. In the videos, different people stood against a white background and spoke, almost as if addressing the person speaking in the adjoining video on the other side of the gallery space. They faced each other, and seemed to be trying to talk to each other, but ultimately failed to communicate. Instead of the give and take of normal conversation, both people spoke in a stream of consciousness monologue that was sometimes broken in a semblance of listening to the other person, but a clear refusal to understand what they were trying to say. After a few minutes of frustrated conversation, the people in the videos faded and new people took over a renewed attempt at communication.
I appreciated the self-consciousness of video as a medium. As a viewer, I was very aware of the physical impossibility of communication between the people in the videos. The moments when it almost seemed like a conversation was taking place were disconcerting, because the people were recorded sometime in the past and couldn’t see each other, and furthermore they were only two-dimensional images on a wall, not real people at all. I also liked how the two individuals seemed to be telling opposite perspectives on the same situation or relationship. They seemed to be speaking the way you would speak about someone who wasn’t there, saying things you would never say to someone’s face but might tell someone else you said, or wanted to say. The way they were projected opposite each other also created an atmosphere in the gallery of distance. There was a physical space between the two projected people that you couldn’t cross, otherwise you would block the light the interrupt the video. So, everyone stood to the side and just observed the interaction and lack thereof between the characters. This left an empty, charged space between the two projections.
There were aspects of the exhibition that could have been improved. For one, the acting was a little awkward and stilted at times, which made the characters and the scenario less convincing. I understand that it’s hard to find good actors for student projects, but in order for this video to have been successful it had to be convincing and the characters had to be believable, which sometimes was not the case. And beyond being a clever joke on a current event, I’m not sure where the title “Swine Flu Fever” came from. It certainly was funny though—especially the trailer they had running on a smaller TV in the window of the gallery, which included a person dancing around in a pig mask in front of a green-screened psychedelic animation.

[Jena Schleis]

Photography Show Review

Azena Photography LLC, located on South Dickinson Street, Madison, had a photography show opening May 1, 2009 that will stay up through the end of this week. Although the studio is primarily known for creative wedding photography, the show consisted of non-traditional portraits from Azena Photography as well as showcasing other artistic photographs from its employees.

The owner of Azena Photography, Hillary Schave, had some of the most intriguing photos in my opinion. She displayed black and white photos of body parts that alluded to being other body parts that they were not. One in particular was a photo taken from behind a woman, capturing part of her back and her left arm bent at the elbow. This picture was hung on its side for the show, which made it appear to be the lower half of a nude woman laying down, with one leg up. I was so fascinated with the abstraction when I found out what the actual picture was.

I began watching other viewers approach this body of work, and this particular photo. I found it interesting that a picture appearing rather sexual was viewed in a somewhat shameful way. People wouldn’t look too long. Once viewers figured out what the picture really was, however, they returned to the collection of photos and boldly stood close searching for the identity.

I recommend this show to anyone who embraces creative photography for the purpose of capturing family memories, as well anyone who is interested in a talented showcase of portrait photographers’ artistic bodies of work.

[Lee Kelman]

Tyler Robbins- "Pleased to Meat You"

Tyler Robbins' show on the 7th Floor Gallery in Humanities, "Pleased to Meat You", explored the suburban love of the backyard barbeque. The photos captured every aspect of the barbeque from meat to coolers to paper plates to backdrops of checkered table cloths.

My love of exploring suburbia was only part of the reason why this exhibition was so successful in my eyes. The sensory experience is what made it so appealing to anyone. Everyone can relate to that backyard barbeque with the family in summer. Walking through the gallery, and getting lost in each photo, each person can place themselves in that place. We can feel that tablecloth, smell the meats, feel the heat from the grill, even hear the sounds of summer in the background, like lawnmowers. It is an all-around sensory experience that many people can relate to in a positive way. It is not an easy thing to achieve, but Tyler Robbins did.

[Alexis Artuso]

Anne Whiston Spirn
“Daring to Look: Dorothea Lange’s Photographs and Reports from the Field”

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I sat down in the lower level of the Chazen. I knew that the lecture was pertaining to Dorothea Lange, but I wasn’t aware that the lecture I was about to hear was specifically about a book put together by Anne Whiston Spirn containing years of photographs and written field reports of Dorothea Lange.

Anne Whiston Spirn is a very accomplished photographer herself. She also has an international reputation working at the intersection of landscape architecture and environmental planning. Along with “Daring to Look” Spirn has written awarding winning books such as: “The Granite Garden: Urban Nature and Human Design” and “The Language of Landscape”.

She began the lecture with a brief overview of Dorothea Lange’s history. I thought this part was interesting because it helped set up where Lange’s career and work ended up and why Spirn saw it important to draw the obvious connections previously ignored between Lange’s field work/photograpsh and her notes.

Spirn then showed a few of Lange’s photographs as they were viewed in the gallery and then with her own caption and field notes beside them. The information Spirn brought forth really added to my appreciation of Dorothea Lange’s work. It was truly eye opening to see what an impact the writing truly had on the perception of the photograph. It turns out, that Dorothea Lange had a variety of captions, notes, and clippings to go with individual photographs as well as collections and believed that the images and words should expand each other.

Finally, she began to tie what Lange was doing to her own work. Spirn actually went to some of the towns where Dorothea Lange had photographed landscapes, architecture, and people and took photographs of the same images. It was amazing to see a little boy in Lange’s photograph, now a very old man, or to see the way that landscapes have or have not changed over the years. This was my favorite part of the lecture because it was interesting to see Lange’s compositions/images…today, in color, and in your face.

She also linked Lange’s work to her own by looking at the landscapes and natural resources and how man has impacted each. Lange had photographed a huge pipeline of federally subsidized water and Spirn went back, photographed, and took a look at how it had impacted the people and land around it. It was almost sickening to see some of the towns she had photographed that “sprung” around the water line. These towns destroyed the smaller communities and huge corporations such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart replaced the small hardware and grocery stores previously photographed by Lange.

Overall, I thought that Anne Whiston Spirn truly honored Dorothea Lange in a way that she had not been recognized for before. She took Lange’s written work and combined it with her photographic work to complete the puzzle and create the exchange between the two, expanding the perception and meaning behind them.

[Maija DiSalvo]

Show Review

Dawoud Bey's work is something that I have admired for quite some time now, especially the Class Pictures work. My own interest in portraiture drew me to his magnificent portraits of the students that he photographed. Each one of his images, although composed in a similar manner are so unique and truly show the spirit of each individual he documents.

Dawoud's images are crisp, vibrant and full of emotion. The classroom backgrounds, although not overwhelming are very significant and give a great representation of who these children are. The honest expressions on their faces make it apparent that Dawoud has made them feel comfortable and open with him, therefore he was able to get the portraits he was looking for.

Letting these students document something about themselves before he began working with them is so interesting. I'm glad to know that he didn't actually read what they wrote until the shoot was over so that it was more evident he opened the students up to him to feel comfortable expressing their true selves to the camera. By doing this, it becomes the viewer's responsibility to interpret whether or not they feel that he truly did capture the essence of their personalities. In my opinion, he has done an excellent job doing this and I am amazed at his ability to take these stunning photos.

[Sarah Ripp]

Photography Show Review: “Pleased to Meat You”
Sarah Ripp

Upon walking into this show, I literally stopped in my tracks. It is not every day that one comes across an entire cookout, complete with picnic table, grill, coolers, and all the fixings for a barbecue… in the 7th Floor Gallery of the Humanities building!

This very unique show was a Master of Fine Arts exhibit by Tyler Robbins. The subject matter of the photographs mainly focused on many varieties of meat. Some of the other photographs included coolers with beer, pasta salad, jello, and paper plates. While the majority of the photographs related to Robbin’s love of meat, as stated in his artist statement, all of the photographs related to the idea of the backyard barbecue and its place in suburban culture. The show included around fifteen prints.

These photographs were appealing to me because of the way that the photographer utilized colors, textures, depth, and patterns. Many of the meats were photographed against either red or blue checked tablecloths, providing a backdrop that was appropriate and interesting, yet still simple enough to not be distracting. I was interested by the different colors of the meats, due to type of meat and stage of oxidation.

My favorite image in the show was a photograph of a paper plate that had been eaten off of. The plate had been cleaned of food and only some scraps, crumbs, and traces of food remained on it. I believe that the image was titled “Clean Plate Club”. I related to this photograph in particular because “clean plate club” was a phrase that my Grandma often uses to get us to finish our food and clean our plate. I also really enjoyed the image of the finished burgers. The texture of the tray in contrast to the bacon, cheese, and hamburger was very satisfying to my eye.

The photographs were strong on their own, but the overall presentation and setup of the gallery really made this show stand out. Robbins set up a full picnic table in the middle of the gallery and had all sorts of barbecue type food for visitors to nibble—everything from veggies and cocktail sausages to coolers with water and a keg of root beer. The most creative part was a steak shaped cake placed upon an actual grill. Overall, the setting was comfortable and it was fun to see people sitting around, eating, enjoying the art, and chatting—very much like an actual barbecue!

Overall I was extremely impressed by the show. No detail was overlooked between the quality of the photographs, the creative presentation and gallery set up, and the clever show postcard with the title written out in ketchup and mustard. I definitely got the welcoming feeling of being “Pleased to Meat You!”

[Ali Peterson]

Alison Peterson
Photography Show Review

This past weekend I went to see a photography show that was at the Sunroom Cafe. There were several artists who had been working with silver prints who had compiled their works there. The first thing that struck me was the variety of images that I saw. Each person had their own theme that they were working with and the pictures were framed and created a nice atmosphere for the customers who were eating.

One of the artist's works that I liked quite a bit was Michael R. Conway. Overall, his images were very simple and framed beautifully. One image that I thought was effective was "Time in Height." This image was just of the side of a brick building, however the angle that the picture was taken added a lot of interest and I was curious about what the story behind this picture was.

Kathryn Wilson was another artist who similarly was drawn to capturing simple images. In her works, she uses a lot of light and shadow to add dramatic effect. Some of her images were also photographed at such close angles that they were almost abstracted. "Stairs" was a work that had all of these qualities. I found that I was extremely interested in discovering what the photograph was of. Once I did, the imperfect angle of each individual stair allowed the viewer to see that they had been used frequently and I wondered where this image came from.

Tory Lonn was the only artist who had taken pictures of people. However, her unconventional poses and elements added to the figures made her images extremely interesting. All of her images were "Untitled" works and the figures all took on a different pose and held a different object that gave them a "Clockwork Orange" quality. I felt that the errie gazes from the figures made these images successful and I am interested in seeing what else Tory might have.

Overall, I felt that this show was a success in the variety and talent displaced in all of the pictures. I plan to frequently visit the Sunroom Cafe to see what else they might show in the future.

[Sarah]

Sarah Weigandt
Photography Show Review
Thursday, April 16, 2009

This past week I visited the UW-Madison intermediate photography show at the 734 Gallery. All of the photographs in the show were color prints done by students. The subject matter, theme, print size and print quantity varied per student artist. Of all of the work in the show, two particular sets of prints struck me as especially pleasing.
The first works to catch my eye were prints done by Jackie Matelski. The prints were entitled Repetition. Each print dealt with different specific subject matter, but, respectively, was composed of one type of product/subject repeated. The photograph of the convenience store shelf full of hair dyes was particularly appealing to me. I loved the obsessively repetitive nature of the dye boxes being emphasized on such a large print. Being a large print as apposed to, say an 8”x10”, amplified the in-your-face repetitive quality of such a common product. I also great appreciated her using this image which had shelving price tags and store signs visible in the composition. Those elements gave the image a specific environment and context.
Of quite opposite nature were photographs entitled “Absent Colors” by Maija di Salvo. As compared to the images by Jackie Matelski which were overloaded compositions, these photographs contained no specific subject matter or context and rather color only. I found these prints to be beautiful in that they neither referenced nor told anything specific at first glance. They instead as the viewer to dig deep and look at the brilliant color laid on a bare white background and assume from it what you wish. The ambiguity of the subject matter leaves the reading of the images completely up to a viewer and will inevitably change from one to the next.
The entire show overall contained a lot of well printed and composed photographs. The colors were beautiful and the compositions and themes were explicitly well thought out and planned.

[April Antonson]

Phyllis Galembo documents masks and rituals in many different countries. She shoots mostly center-weighted portraits, it seems. Her photos appear quite chaotic and simple at the same time. As portraits, they are simple compositions, but the costumes and masks are so ornate and add a lot of pattern and color for the viewer to see. Conceptually, she likes to see the traditional versus the modern, as in a portrait where the sitter wore a traditional costume but had modern, shined shoes on. It was really nice that she still remembered many of the stories behind the photos, and I thought that her photos really lent themselves to a book format, where she could tell those stories. Her photos have very saturated colors, which in many cases have symbolism in certain cultures, adding meaning and depth to her work. The underwater photographs that she showed were very beautiful, and were a very different kind of work for her. They were printed in black and white, and had very high contrast. Figures were silhouetted against the water, giving the photos an otherworldly, sacred feel. I really liked the photo entitled, “Three Painted Boys,” because the colors and the composition of the photo were fantastic. The boys were arranged in a triangular fashion, which really moved the eye around the photo, and the fact that their bodies were painted green was both beautiful and shocking. The Carnival photos were also great because they were colorful, and also humorous, showing masked figures with surprise boxes. I really liked that she added a photo of the crowd gathered around her while taking her photos. It reminds the viewer of the process of photography, and shows the time taken to photograph and the equipment used. I thought that there was an interesting dichotomy within this elaborate process of staging photos and the rituals that she is photographing. This style of photography takes a lot of time to create and prepare for, and she sets up each of her compositions to her liking, whereas these ritual masquerades are more free flowing and spontaneous. Overall, I felt like Phyllis Galembo’s work was really beautiful and brought some different culture and tradition to this side of the world.

[April Antonson]

Phyllis Galembo documents masks and rituals in many different countries. She shoots mostly center-weighted portraits, it seems. Her photos appear quite chaotic and simple at the same time. As portraits, they are simple compositions, but the costumes and masks are so ornate and add a lot of pattern and color for the viewer to see. Conceptually, she likes to see the traditional versus the modern, as in a portrait where the sitter wore a traditional costume but had modern, shined shoes on. It was really nice that she still remembered many of the stories behind the photos, and I thought that her photos really lent themselves to a book format, where she could tell those stories. Her photos have very saturated colors, which in many cases have symbolism in certain cultures, adding meaning and depth to her work. The underwater photographs that she showed were very beautiful, and were a very different kind of work for her. They were printed in black and white, and had very high contrast. Figures were silhouetted against the water, giving the photos an otherworldly, sacred feel. I really liked the photo entitled, “Three Painted Boys,” because the colors and the composition of the photo were fantastic. The boys were arranged in a triangular fashion, which really moved the eye around the photo, and the fact that their bodies were painted green was both beautiful and shocking. The Carnival photos were also great because they were colorful, and also humorous, showing masked figures with surprise boxes. I really liked that she added a photo of the crowd gathered around her while taking her photos. It reminds the viewer of the process of photography, and shows the time taken to photograph and the equipment used. I thought that there was an interesting dichotomy within this elaborate process of staging photos and the rituals that she is photographing. This style of photography takes a lot of time to create and prepare for, and she sets up each of her compositions to her liking, whereas these ritual masquerades are more free flowing and spontaneous. Overall, I felt like Phyllis Galembo’s work was really beautiful and brought some different culture and tradition to this side of the world.

[Jennifer Cherwinka]

Patrick Nagatani visited Madison for The Center for Photography’s Photo Midwest 2008. Patrick discussed the history of his work. He began in 1983 working in a collaboration with a painter. They developed scenes on canvas and photographed them with a large format Polaroid camera. This type of photography emphasized the work involved in creating the props and setup with only a few moments to actually take the photograph. The photographs created the illusion that this scene has existed. It was an interesting mix of painting and photography.

He then traveled to New Mexico to do a series about the nuclear weapons and waste. He made mixed media compositions, piecing photos, drawings and found images together. These pieces provoked the viewer to consider the process, use and purpose of nuclear weapons.

Another series he discussed was related to the Japenese internment camps in the US. He photographed the locations of these camps. The empty, desert images created a lonely desolate feel. Some of the locations retained pieces of the camps, while others appear as if nothing had happened. This series was different from Nagatani’s others since it involved a straight forward photography approach. His other work has more abstract elements.

[Jennifer Cherwinka]

I attended the Photomidwest lecture by Beth Moon on October 27, 2008. I really enjoyed listening to Beth talk and share her work. Beth Moon shared three of her series. Each black and white collection shared deep contrast and dramatic tone.

The first series was entitled, Portraits of Time, was composed of Ancient Trees. Moon traveled the world photographing trees with a rich history or unique aesthetic. These images were very interesting to look at. Moon carefully composed the images with vantage points that accented the unique qualities of the tree. It was fun to listen to Moon tell about how she discovered a particular tree or a story about how she captured the perfect shot.

The second series was photographs for her children. Thy Kingdom Come involved prints of her children with animals. She collected dead animals and staged ancient looking photographs with her children holding the carcass. These images had a narrative quality. They made me wonder about how the animals died and what cultural practices causes the children to hold them. An interesting universe what created that invited the viewer to explore and draw conclusions about the events.

The third series, The Savage Garden, was images of carnivorous plants. These plants were photographed inside a studio. The lighting and the context emphasized the unique structure. I enjoyed listening to how she acquired these plants. She also told about her fascination with their carnivorous behavior. It was an interesting contrast to her tree images which emphasized history instead of action.

[Jennifer Cherwinka]

The current show at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Barbara Probst: Exposures explores perspective and point of view in photography. These series of photographs were taken of the same subject but from different angles. In some the different point of view exposed the staged aspect of the other photos. In other series, the point of view changed how I viewed the subject. Up close photos made me feel like I was viewing private space and that the camera must have been intruding. An aerial shot, made the subject seem impersonal and distant.

Probst’s photographs are both an exploration of an event for the viewer and a critique on photography in general. The many shots expose more of the scene, each disillusioning the other photographs. With just one photo, a specific story and tone are shared. With many photos of the same event the story is elaborated and the impression is confused. These series show that a photo is just one perspective. It is not a complete view of reality.

I enjoyed looking at these series. The different perspectives were very revealing. The different vantages points were creative and intriguing. Beyond the subject and the perspective of reality, the series was aesthetically interesting. Having each image share aspects of the subject linked them together compositionally. I also enjoyed the mixture of full color images and grayscale. I was interested to learn more about how she took these different perspectives at the same time. It was a fun exhibit to view and made me think about how a vantage point affects the character of the photograph.

[Lee Kelman]

Artist Lecture: Barbara Probst: Exposures

On Dec. 6th, Barbara Probst spoke at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art about her current exhibition, Exposures. Her collection consists of small groupings of photographs that she took of one specific event, but from different angles, points of view, etc. She explained how she used a radio-controlling system to trigger the shutter of each camera, set in a different place, at the same time. The idea is to capture the way that each person experiences a situation from his or her own unique point of view, which differs vastly from someone else.
Probst plays with different angles, zooms, color saturations (some photos in a grouping are black and white, some are in color), etc. The only thing that ties a cluster of photos together is the fact that they are depicting the exact same scene. Even within the grouping, Probst neglects the need to have a common stylistic technique; she does quite the opposite, striving to create a different atmosphere in each photo the best she can.
The small clusters of photos often have a cinematic quality, giving us a more spherical view of the situation at hand. It is interesting to see how Probst arranges the photos within a grouping, and which she chooses to be black and white. I think that having some in black and white is important, keeping the color story very short, often with one or two colors coming through, rather than what can certainly be many different shades of color. It does bring to question, however, why she didn’t strive for different shades of light in each photo, as she did for all other stylistic techniques, such as focus, distance, etc. I do think it helps the aesthetics of the groupings, but I am not sure that having an even divide between color and black and white in each cluster is doing much for her overall concept.

[Lee Kelman]

Phyllis Galembo: West African Masquerade

Phyllis Galembo’s work focuses on the costumes of different nations, particularly those of Western Africa. In her exhibition, West African Masquerade, she explores the intricate garments and masks worn by traditionally important figures in the community, including people from priests to village dancers. She explores the textures and colors radiating from each piece, as each is so carefully created from an extensive array of earthy materials. The photos are very large scale, and capture the importance of nature in these cultures and the creation of these costumes. She carefully chooses her background and lighting of each portrait to speak loudly to the costume and its many fine details.

The color in these pieces is very well-mastered. One of the most striking aspects of these garments and masks is the vibrancy of the colors they are matched against the very chaotic, earthy grasses and straws.

It is also really interesting to see a photographer travel around the globe to find and appreciate the simple aesthetics that can be found within a culture. Certainly, Galembo is interested in the cultures of these communities, but she is shooting the costumes simply for their beauty. She appreciates the colors and textures, and builds her photos to document just that. It seems like it would be hard to stray away from journalistic-type photography when traveling around the world and, no doubt, being fascinated by countless cultural groups. Galembo managed to keep the aspect of fine art dominant in her photographs, despite the inevitable urge to show everything she has learned about these people.

[Diana Dams]

It IS All About Me
Photo exhibit by James Rhem

Showing at the wall gallery of Espresso Royale (near the capitol), photographer James Rhem exhibits his photography in a presentation entitled “It IS All About Me – and Other Reflections Through Photography.” On his way home from a grocery store, he finds a chipped full-length mirror on the curb. This mirror becomes the theme and focus of this particular series.

Looking quickly though his oeuvre, one will notice that all of his images seem pretty unspectacular, snapshot-esque, and ordinary. A picture of him in his driveway, another picture of his family, too many pictures in the woods, and even a few pictures that are indecipherable, make one question what good photography actually is. However, after reading his artist statement, I went through again with a new perspective, this time loving (sort of) what I was seeing.

What makes Rhem’s series “good art” - is the idea behind it. Photography encompasses discovery, documentation, and expression, so inevitably, as a photographer, Rhem feels that he is at the heart of all his photographs. With that realized, he decided to make a series that literally states “he is at the center of his photography,” by placing the mirror into his chosen landscape and standing in a position to capture his reflection in the picture. Now those family pictures become more creative, with the knowledge that he is not physically present in the picture, but rather inserting his presence into his family portrait. Now those annoying woods pictures become a “where’s Waldo” search to find the hidden photographer amidst the trees.

Since photography essentially IS a reflection of the photographer in the heat of the moment (whether they are in it or not), the vision, the frame, the point of view, the idea - everything - is uniquely captured from their eyes. Heck, photography can be perceived as totally narcissistic, if you want. Plain and simple, your photographs reflect a bit of yourself. So why not insert yourself into it? Perhaps a nouveau signature, if you will.

Developed on silver gelatin prints in the darkroom, someone needs to properly teach him the glories of correct filter usage. Neither aesthetically nor technically pleasing, I still don’t think that his photographs are all that stunning, not even close, but his reason for taking this series in particular is fascinating.

[Diana Dams]

West African Masquerade: Photos by Phyllis Galembo

After receiving her M.F.A from UW-Madison in printmaking and photography, Phyllis Galembo decided to travel the world in an attempt
to document the unique aesthetics of different cultures. Starting in 1985, she began to collect pictures from her travels in North and South America and West Africa.

During her travels to Nigeria, Galembo documented traditional priests and priestess of the local people. Their costumes and dress that
influence their spiritual and religious practices are rendered so beautifully, as she captures them in their natural element. She takes a bold approach in her documentation, asking them to pose for her, as she sets up the stage. Usually with a little bit of money and a promise to give them a copy of the photo, her models are excited to be apart of her art. Most of her pictures are shot straight on, people have intense looks on their faces, and the vibrant colors of their homes are painted in the background. Her work is stunning as she captures the beauty of the culture and the diversity that is apart of it.

Using her 4x5 camera and an intense lighting system, Galembo makes a big set-up when she does these photo shoots. Usually a big crowd of people surround around her in curiosity, watching what she is doing.

Some things are taken at the event, some she took spontaneously, while others were commissioned. Most of her work deals with secret societies, masquerades, costumes, African gods, and voodoo, creating an eye-opening and honest look at the beautiful traditions of sometimes little-known cultures.

[Maija DiSalvo]

Bill Pielsticker "Inner Space" and "Patterns"

I went to a lecture by Bill Pielsticker at the Center for Photography in Madison. He was the featured artist of the month and had a show up in CPM. The subject matter of Bill's photographs was nature-oriented, the series he showcased was more specifically of ice. In many of his ice photographs he used digital manipulation or simple color changes in photoshop to create images that seem to be photos of space, hence the title of "Inner Space."
Initially, Bill began just photographing the ice as it was with natural lighting but began to experiment with using a mirror to accentuate and highlight cracks in the glass for aesthetic and compositional purposes. Bill's works are very abstracted and unique in the way that they use that light that he creates. For him, this was his way of representing the artist in himself, not simply the photographer.
Bill's work was very interesting in the way that it called the viewer to search the abstract to find some sort of representational shape or figure in his "Patterns" series. They way that the ice was shaped would represent human and animal forms, much like you would have imagined searching for such shapes in spilled ink, for example.
Bill's aesthetic was very interesting and different in comparison to the types of photography I have seen from other students so it was refreshing to see and hear a whole new idea and approach to the art of photography.

[Zoe Kasiske]

Phyllis Galembo: West African Masquerade

The focus of the photographs in this exhibition is to capture the culture and celebration in West Africa through numerous portraits of masqueraders. Galembo, through her photographs in this series, looks closely at the traditions of costumes in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Benin. All of the prints were large prints which really made the viewer look closely at all the vibrant colors and details throughout each unique shot. I felt this exhibition really told a story about a culture that is a completely different world to me. It made me feel a sense of unity among their culture, that masquerade celebrates life and is a way to unify their communities. Besides for a few of the photographs with the trees and bushes in the background, most of the backgrounds were very simple, most being even a plain wall with little detail. This I think really made the focus on whoever the subject was, and their costume and story. Knowing that Galembo travels to these places herself rather than having just anyone dress up makes the photographs all the more intimate. I found it interesting that she tends to never actually see her subjects without costume and likes to focus on the idea that through costume, one can really transform into something different. This exhibition made me feel as though I was getting to know a whole other part of the world in a completely diferent perspective. The creativity each individual had in making their costumes and the materials they used was incredible. I really feel as though Phyllis Galembo was able to capture and celebrate this culture through her photographs.

[Captain James Cook]

West African Masquerade: Photographs by Phyllis Galembo
This exhibit focused on the oral and musical traditions of West African culture as a visual language. When I first saw the photographs I thought that perhaps Galembo had taken them at a museam or some other institute that would have African art. I was quite impressed by the fact that she actually travels around Africa with a guide, and then she talks to the chieftans to get permission to take photographs of the masqueraders.
The masquerade is something that allows the participating individuals to transform into someone or something else. It allows them to become a different character. In west Africa the masquerade is used to celebrate a wide variety of events and is a reason for the whole community to gather together.
In this manner Galembo is able to not just take a picture of the individual in costume. She actually gets a photograph of what that individual becomes through the use of the costume. The costume allows them to transform into something more divine. Since these masquerades are such a community wide event that involve everyone, these photos also serve as a visual record of the whole culture.
I really like the fact that Galembo never actually sees the individuals that she is photographing. She tries to work with them in order to capture the full essence of the costume and character. Many artists go about their work unaware of their own preconceived notions that they have developed through their own environment and culture. By doing this, Galembo tries to restrict the affect of own preconceptions on her work. This really strengthens the piece, because as a work that is trying to capture this visual language of the culture it can only help to have someone that has a better understanding of the society to have a bigger influence on the work.
Galembo works in very large prints which helps the viewer to see every detail in her photographs. This is really effective as it allows the viewer to see the wide variety of the beautiful colors displayed in the costumes. Though, I am curious about the backgrounds behind the sitters. In most of the photos in this series, the sitter is very close to a wall in the background if not up against it. I really like how most of these are scratched-up, dirty, cracked, and broken down walls. However, a few of them are very pristine, or even have wall-paper like decorations. These photographs leave me a bit confused almost as if they should be in a separate series.

[Sean Stewart]

Review for “The Politics of Pictorialism: Race and Eroticism in the Photographs of F. Holland Day.” Lecture review assignment.

Shawn Michelle Smith’s lecture dealt primarily with a psychological interpretation of F. Holland Day’s photographs as portraying an underlying homosexual desire. This interpretation was derived from the aesthetics and subject matter of the photos, as well as the inherent relationship between a photographer and what he or she photographs. Day’s photographs commonly included nude males, shot with soft focus, misty atmospheres, and presenting a dream like quality. The human body in the work of Day was noted by Smith to commonly “dissolve” into the atmosphere of the photo, this atmosphere being commonly scenes of nature or scenes based off of Greek myth. Smith argued all these aesthetic qualities combined were tinged with eroticism in their style, and the frequency in which they occur in Day’s oeuvre was suggested to be a reflection of his closeted homosexuality. Photographs of African-American nudes were also described as a means for Day to use race in defining his sexuality. Created during a time of frequent, violent persecution of blacks in the United States, Smith suggested that this subject choice was playing off of the “sexual deviant” stereotype common at the time to code for Day’s own sexuality. Further evidence derived from historic and cultural contexts of Day’s work was supplied with his choices to photograph himself as a Christ like figure during crucifixion (a mostly nude male who is a source of adoration and sympathy in Christianity), as well as some of Day’s costume choices such as traditional Islamic fashions, interpreted by Smith as a common Western fantasy of “liberated masculinity” that Day was attracted to and created. I found some of these arguments to be tenuously presented and stretched to fit otherwise strong evidence for Day’s homosexual inspired work. In this sense, I think it became an interpretive limitation to characterize most of Day’s work in this manner.

Day’s work at times reminded me of Cindy Sherman’s self portraits, especially those of his scenes of Christ. Beyond the similarity of self portraiture that presents a different identity to the viewer instead of the artist, the larger idea of exploring how human identities are presented is what interested me the most. Smith did bring up this concept early in her lecture, about the relationship between the photographer and their “unsettled subjects”. Like Sherman, Day’s photographs attempted to represent larger ideas beyond what was “documented” by the photograph. In Sherman’s case, these ideas involved conceptions of identity and of the body shaped through cultural prisms. I suppose Smith was arguing that in Day’s case, his ideas were quite personal and directed to a greater understanding of a part of himself. I think I would have found the presentation more interesting had it a greater focus on the historical context and the question of photography as art that was important during the time in which Day worked. Although this was brought up occasionally to support why Day’s work suggested more artistic elements than the typical use of the photograph as a documentation tool, I think a greater focus explaining why his photos were art instead of a sign of him being gay would have been more interesting. The aesthetic choices defining art as separate from documentation could be useful for a basic level photography practice like our class is engaged in right now, but it would run the risk of turning into a history lesson of wider photography practices instead of one critically focused upon analyzing his work alone. All of this being said, the lecture did spark an interest in how and when photography was able to be considered art, a valuable idea worth exploring to help define what constitutes an artistic choice in our own black and white photographs.