Deutsche Borse Prize 2015 - The Photographer's Gallery

Nikolai Bakharev

His day job a communal services factory photographer in 1970s USSR, Bakharev also photographed families relaxing at the beach. The images are small, tightly framed B&W photographs in the tradition of social documentary photography. The images are mostly posed with the subjects looking directly at the camera. They were taken at a time under the Communist regime when photographs of personal intimacy and nudity were frowned upon (the subjects are mostly wearing bathing costumes). The photographs are well composed and aesthetically pleasing.

During the student discussion of the work afterwards it was mentioned that they had a surreptitious feeling of being behind the bike sheds; that as images they felt tight and closed. I didn't pick up on this feeling myself. I actually made a note at the time that the people look relaxed and happy to be taking part in the making of the portraits; that there is 'no sense of restrictive behaviour' as indicated in the artist's statement; I wonder if the small print size, and tight framing helps to direct the viewer towards the closed reading. I feel I want to go back and take another look at these photographs to see if I can discern an alternate reading to my first reaction.

Zanelle Muholi

This work was the standout exhibit for me. Muholi photographs black LGBTI people in South Africa. Her portrait work shows people solidly united in the face of prejudice, intimidation, violence, torture and often murder. The portraits are B&W, printed to poster size, and pinned with no visible wall space between them. They form a solid block of people united against adversity. To me the subject's eyes all speak one message; the words of Mulholi herself. "If I wait for someone to validate my existence, it means I will shortchange myself." Mulholi (2015)

On a side wall two video screens tell the stories of Lesbian women that have been tortured for their sexuality by their own communities. These are quite horrific and too much to listen to at times. The events are simply told almost matter of fact, such as a woman's teeth found scattered around the area of her murdered body - these details stay in the mind. The term 'Curative Rape' is mentioned. It seems that some men and supportive women will use any justification to freely abuse their power over others. I've often noted that Homophobic hate crimes can be extremely sadistic and the perpetrators often seem to relish their ability to cause pain and torture.

On the opposite wall to the video screens is a sheet that has a number of written messages of support from the UK LGBT community. Although we have legal protection in the UK this added element to the exhibition is a reminder that in many societies there is still much to be done to achieve full equality and that hate crimes still take place everywhere. There is no getting away from the fact that some people just wished that LGBTI people didn't exist; that we should just shut up about asking for something as basic as wanting equal rights with the rest of society.

The wall opposite to the portraits had a slideshow projection. These photographs were mostly in colour, less formal at times, and showed wedding groups, displays of affection between couples - a more social side to the subjects. To me the contrast made an important statement; that this is how LGBTI people want to be. The unity portrait posters on the opposite wall are more political. They show how we have to be.

Mikhail Subotzky & Patrick Waterhouse

This work depicts the demise of a high-rise tower block in South Africa. Two, tall light boxes, containing images the size business cards create an impressive visual display when seen at a distance - almost like stained glass windows. When viewed up close we can see that the images make up views out of the Ponte City tower blocks windows, interspersed with interior room scenes. On another side of the light box the inhabitants TV Screens are photographed. The larger wall prints depict scenes in and around the high-rise. Some of the prints had small found photographs pinned to them, adding an extra layer of intertextuality. The found objects continued on another wall with what looked like an old lace table cover, letters and more found photographs. The work was visually interesting, though I understand it suffered from lack of space at the Photographer's Gallery compared to its recent showing at the Arles Photo Festival.

Vivianne Sasson

'Umbra' is Latin for 'shadow' apparently. From a visual perspective this work was much more conceptual than the other pieces. The artist's statement says that the work is 'a manifestation of the human psyche'. The artist has chosen to depict this state in a number of different ways. There are purely abstract pieces that contort and intersect visual planes that confuse the eye. The work reminds me somewhat of Laura Letinsky's folded paper taped to walls, they create the same effect too. Sharon Boothroyd mentioned Jason Evans and I can also see a similarity in the work.

There were also more conventional photographic prints that featured shadows or blacked out sections in one form or another. What was interesting was that some items were framed, some tacked by their top edges only, leaving the bottom of the photographic paper to curl outwards. Was this intentional? The artist must have know that by not tacking all four corners that this curling would occur. Is it to reference the multiple planes of the more abstract pieces?


Context

When I think about my own work I can relate it to Zanelle Mulhoni's exhibit. They are both about identity and in particular LGBTI. Whereas Mulhoni has looked at the subject from a political perspective with social elements, I have taken a more conceptual approach with the fictional hidden history - particularly in terms of the "Rubber Flapper' work. My other assignments too have mainly looked at identity in one aspect or another. I'm still finding my way with this subject - taking different approaches, looking at personal and larger social issues.

I can also take away something from the 'Ponte City' work too. Subotzky and Waterhouse's use of found objects is an element in art making that has always intrigued me. I have used appropriated images from the Internet in my first assignment. Could these be considered a kind of cyber found object? I'm not sure. With Sasson I wonder when I get to my level 3 studies if my work will indeed become much more abstracted. I feel I might be moving that way, but my sense of narrative is probably too strong to ever make a completely abstract piece of work.








References:

Mulholi, Z. Exhibition video excerpt. The Photographers Gallery, London. 2015.