Self Portrait

2008 Self Portrait , this was a sad & only time for me.

Though I had a lot of support around me, at this time I couldn’t see or feel it,

all I could think of was the loss of my Dad.

“Defeating the Object”

When I embarked on this personal project, I was experiencing a very insular mindset. This seems ironic, considering the level of physical exposure in the photographs, but my approach was to present myself in a purely objective way. In doing this, I wasn’t trying to contribute to the trend of what is seen as the ‘objectification of women’ but more to challenge it. My character, my humanity and my essence where the things I wanted to conceal and my pure physicality – my body – what I intended to reveal; but only as a way of rendering the latter meaningless and without substance.

I was inspired mainly by the photography of Cindy Sherman and Nobuyoshi Araki when thinking about this project. The way both artists feature the female subject in a strategically arranged pose or ‘situation’ that is often overtly sexual. It is the act of role-playing that intrigues me about both artists’ work. Of course in Sherman’s case, it is the artist herself who is the subject for the photograph; whereas Araki will remain behind the camera and photograph his female subjects in a variety of explicit poses.

Sherman’s concepts focus more on the portrayal of Western women in the media. Among her more well known projects are the ‘Untitled Film Stills’, mainly created in the 70′s. These were black and white photographs that were set up to look like stills from Hollywood pictures, B-movies, film noir and foreign films in which she would be the unnamed, blonde female lead. This meant that her portrayal of the leading lady in black and white cinema could vary from the ‘damsel in distress’ to the ‘femme fatale’ but would always be glamorous and ‘desirable’.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills

She developed this notion of female glamour in her 1981 project ‘Centerfolds’, which more explicitly exposed the stereotyping of women in films, television and magazines. Although Sherman does not consider her work feminist, she does retrospectively acknowledge that with this project, she was “trying to make someone feel bad for having a certain expectation”. The idea behind this being that the female subject in each case looks somehow victimised so the viewer, expecting to be titillated, opens up the magazine and starts to feel ashamed at being the “violator”.

 Cindy Sherman, Centerfolds

I feel I was reaching for a similar effect in my own project, ‘Defeating the Object’. The mask is worn in an attempt to appear ‘dehumanised’. By covering the face, I wanted to remove the person, the part of the anatomy that is most associated with communicating thoughts, feelings and expression. At the time, I felt that my ability to communicate these things were lost and so the physical exposure was a form of compensation; a ‘short-cut’ to a very superficial form of expression. There is a certain reverse psychology in the notion that by exposing what is immediately desirable, gratifying or pleasing (ie, the body), this will cause the viewer to acknowledge how fleeting and transitory this form of human expression is and will make them want to discover the ‘person behind the mask’. Of course, the physical form is desirable and there is no shame in experiencing that desire, as it comes naturally to all of us, but my project is challenging the viewer with the question, ‘is that all you want?’

Role playing is an important aspect of art. When people create, they are either seeking to express themselves as fully as they can or obscure their true selves by creating an alternative reality. It is interesting to speculate which of these outcomes the models of Araki’s photographs (particularly the ones featuring bondage) had in mind.

In the seventies and eighties, Araki had the reputation of a pornographer, which isn’t the highest accolade for someone who considers themselves to be a serious artist. A lot of his photography features nude or naked women in highly erotic and often submissive poses. However, it is important to realise that the setting up of these shots were always based on a mutual agreement, with the model offering suggestions or directions as to the composition. Even with the bondage photos, which are not considered the taboo in Japan the way they would be in Western society, the reality is that the model treats it as some sort of ritual in bearing the human soul.

These themes can even be traced back to the folk culture of the Edo period when people had a proudly flippant attitude to sexuality and treated eroticism as a bit of fun. During the subsequent Meiji period (1868-1914), artworks were created that show women bound in rope as if participating in an erotic game. It is tempting to therefore dismiss any accusations of misogyny levelled at Araki, as he appeared to be merely portraying socially acceptable practices that go back centuries.

However, by the same token it could be argued that Araki has just been perpetuating outdated principles that many Japanese people would now find offensive. After all, many Western social principles, now widely regarded as taboos, such as sexism and racism, were once considered socially acceptable but are now scrutinised, quite rightly, under a higher moral code. So could it be that Araki’s work is simply lacking in morality?

Araki - bondage photography

 

Really the important aspect of this question is what the subjects of Araki’s photographs see their role as being. If the women in his photographs really did find the experience of bondage liberating and, as stated earlier, a way of ‘bearing the soul’ then the images do indeed take on a gravity that elevates them to high art, as the expression is as much the subject’s as it is the artist’s; if not more so. In direct contrast to Sherman’s work, these pictures are letting the viewer know that they needn’t be ashamed; that just by looking at these pictures we are participating in the act being portrayed and this is all part of the game.

In many ways the Araki photos are more confrontational than controversial as they are explicit without actually hiding any part of the feminine character. We can be offended by them if we want, and many will be, but by participating in these pictures the women are exposing themselves to a lot of scrutiny and so are ultimately showing they have nothing to hide.

What I am trying to convey with ‘Defeating the Object’ is something that combines both aspects of Araki and Sherman. I believe that to some extent, I have embraced the brazen physicality of Araki but also the demureness present in some of Sherman’s work. I am at once sexually liberated and spiritually confined. Really the question that I hope this project poses is, ‘does it succeed in “defeating the object” or in celebrating it?’

Self Portrait

This is me ‘bending over backwards’ for my art, photo taken by my 8-year old niece.

Self Portrait

This could be referred to as a ‘conceptual portrait’ in the vain of Cindy Sherman but also possesses a fantastical or fairytale quality that could have been inspired by someone like Angus Mcbean.

 

Cindy Sherman, ‘Untitled’

 

Audrey Hepburn by Angus McBean, 1950

 

 

‘Photoshop Portrait’

This wasn’t created by me but by a dear friend (Tristan Plowman). It is a portrait of his late mother that really reflects her benevolent nature.

Photographic portraits

These photos were taken during my Photography course in Crosskeys College. The model was a fellow student and is still a dear friend of mine.

Work in progress…

Flesh & Blood

There’s always a bit of myself in everything I do.

Giving it my all.

Portrait of a Loved One, 2009 (30min Sketch)