Photo-catharsis by Leif Sandberg
So much has been said about Leif Sandberg‘s project Ending that words fail me. Still, the quality of his work and the importance it has for those, like me, who embrace photography both as a means of artistic expression, but … Continue reading Photo-catharsis by Leif Sandberg
Love as muscle
In an interview conducted by Heather Davis & Paige Sarlin and published on No More Potlucks, Michael Hardt invokes Spinoza to explain love. There, he states: When I get confused about love, or other things in the world, thinking about … Continue reading Love as muscle
SHE and ‘the nude’
Being a teacher is an everyday learning experience. We’re challenged in very different ways: either because we need to learn how to teach, either because we need to find ways to potentiate their vision. They trust us and that’s a huge responsibility. When … Continue reading SHE and ‘the nude’
Cha Cha, Bang Bang
I’ve been meaning to watch this for some time, but was lacking the courage, until today. I knew I would be troubled and conflicted about the project, so I was struggling to decide whether I should even see it, to … Continue reading Cha Cha, Bang Bang
Photography and Feminism (here we go again)
If there’s one thing different kinds of feminism can agree upon is their will to “empower women”. But, that’s it; once we get started on the meaning of that “empowerment” the apparent cohesion starts to fall apart. Some co-called feminists think … Continue reading Photography and Feminism (here we go again)
I once wished I was a man
Yesterday was a special date for all women out there. It’s not a day to celebrate, but to remember where our ancestors once were and how we still need to be active and assume our daily battles in a men’s world. … Continue reading I once wished I was a man
An artist at work: here’s what no hypocrisy looks like
Sometimes we have to criticize with no solution in sight. Sometimes we have to promote change because the contrary just doesn’t fit our ethical frame. It’s … Continue reading An artist at work: here’s what no hypocrisy looks like
On Ren Hang’s suicide: “Pain is pain, no matter how pretty”
A lot has been said about the value of Ren Hang‘s artwork following his recent death, at the age of 29. Hang committed suicide. From what I can understand, he jumped from a building in Berlin, last Friday. Author Wendy Syfret … Continue reading On Ren Hang’s suicide: “Pain is pain, no matter how pretty”
A different kind of moonlight
I’m just another lover of the art of moving pictures, so the Oscars, being about the movie industry, are usually not a place to look for references. Yet, I’m always aware, and I end up finding one or two things worth watching … Continue reading A different kind of moonlight
WPP 2017 (our worst or Ozbilici’s iconic photograph)
Most of us will agree on one thing: this year’s WWP winning photograph is not their typical choice. But that’s it! The consequences of this choice are as … Continue reading WPP 2017 (our worst or Ozbilici’s iconic photograph)
WPP 2017 (our best)
These are clearly not the most extraordinary photographs from the competition, yet in my opinion they stand out because instead of portraying the worst about humanity (our profound hatred of the Other, our fear of change, our disrespect for nature, … Continue reading WPP 2017 (our best)
Who’s your favourite photographer? they ask
It’s a question students often ask: who’s your favourite photographer? I don’t have one, nor do I have a favourite director, a favourite musician, a favourite writer and so on. It varies. Having said that, what students usually want when … Continue reading Who’s your favourite photographer? they ask
Max Pinckers’ quest for style
Somehow Max Pinckers‘ work has never excited me much. I though it was too neat, too contrived, too pretty, too arranged, too controlled… After coming across a feature of Magnum Photos Now about Finding Your Documentary Photography Style and reading the … Continue reading Max Pinckers’ quest for style
Yes, photography as a therapeutic tool
Some people have a hard time accepting that photography can also be a therapeutic tool, given the right context. To a certain point, it’s understandable: photography … Continue reading Yes, photography as a therapeutic tool
Representing mental illness
Note: if you don’t want to get personal, just don’t read this. Mental health issues are always difficult to approach, be it in sociological or artistic terms. Both as a student and as a teacher, not a year goes by … Continue reading Representing mental illness
A new pair of eyes
Extreme fatigue can change your perspective on things, but so can euphoria and melancholia. I guess our perception on what is or is not part of our conceptualized reality is heavily influenced by our biological and psychological conditions. Having said … Continue reading A new pair of eyes
New blood (part II)
Benjamin Freedman Statement about the project: In November 2014 I began a two month residency in northern Iceland where I became interested in the countries unique topographic features. Its low mountains and fascinating geological specimens inspired this sci-fi photo book … Continue reading New blood (part II)
How authenticity came to be mistaken for spontaneity
One Paula Riebschläger writes about photographer Arnaud Ele‘s work: Far away from orchestrated photo shoots, Ele’s pictures are filled with authenticity expressed in pictures of dreamy landscapes and intimate portraits. He graduated from film school in Geneva and was recently … Continue reading How authenticity came to be mistaken for spontaneity
Art without art (or art without its aesthetic dimension)
It’s a recurrent discussion that makes a bundle out of art issues: why are art critics avoiding aesthetic criticism and, instead, doing critic of the art system, the nominal dimension and the historical value of the artworks, apparently neglecting the thing that makes … Continue reading Art without art (or art without its aesthetic dimension)
The art of being subversive (after J. Colberg)
Jörg Colberg, from Conscientious Mag, wrote an essay on the need for subversive photography that can be found on Hyperallergic. As Colberg reflects on what subversion “looks like”, he starts by comparing two photographs: Time´s cover portrait of Trump, by … Continue reading The art of being subversive (after J. Colberg)
Imagine you’re a tree
Temporary Trees is a collaboration between Make a Forest (founded by Joanna van der Zanden and Anne van der Zwaag), Raw Color (design studio by Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach) and Maarten Kolk & Guus Kusters‘ studio. This series was presented during Dutch Design … Continue reading Imagine you’re a tree
New blood (part I)
Richard Gosnold Statement about the project: ‘Voices’ conveys a tale of traumatic events, questioning how the perception of reality, for a mentally ill person, is influenced by past experiences. Based on the theory that we invent reality to suit our … Continue reading New blood (part I)
We don’t understand why these foreigners take photographs
In Culture and Authenticity (2008), discussing the semiotics of tourism and authenticity, Charles Lindholm talks about the sexual tourist who ventures “seeking out forbidden pleasures in foreign locales”, hoping to “discover his or her own natural uncivilized being” (p. 42). … Continue reading We don’t understand why these foreigners take photographs
Everything she touches turns to…
Annie Leibovitz is responsible for creating such an iconography, that her authority (meaning legitimacy as an author) is unquestionable. Having said that, and although her work is always in trend (or so my students’ tell me), for the past decade … Continue reading Everything she touches turns to…
L’enfer, c’est les autres
L’enfer, cést les autres, Sartre’s famous exclamation in Huis Clos, it’s one of those sentences that in itself encloses a wide reflection about how human beings think about themselves. I am often reminded of the dictum when someone or something … Continue reading L’enfer, c’est les autres
Stella Bach: ‘Meditations in an emergency’
© Stella Bach, Untitled, from the project Meditations in an Emergency. © Stella Bach, Untitled, from the project Meditations in an Emergency. © Stella Bach, Untitled, from the project Meditations in an Emergency. © Stella Bach, Untitled, from the project … Continue reading Stella Bach: ‘Meditations in an emergency’
Death in magenta
Richard Mosse’s color infrared photographs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have traveled the world. Their impact is undeniable. Their red-magenta dye have made us look at this never-ending war again, and again, and again. Should we dare say … Continue reading Death in magenta
The authentic artist
“The authentic artist doesn’t exist outside the artwork. The authentic artist enters the artwork and he stays inside, in the path it [the artwork] opens. The authentic artist doesn’t separate from the work, he has no identity as an artist. … Continue reading The authentic artist
Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderfull? Isn’t she precious?
excerpt from CLAUDE CAHUN: The Extreme Point of the Needle in: Michael Löwy’s MORNING STAR: surrealism, marxism, anarchism, situationism, utopia During 1936, Claude Cahun took an active part in Surrealist activities: she was present at the Surrealist exhibitions in Paris … Continue reading Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderfull? Isn’t she precious?
What is style?
I miss the sort of stable relationship I used to have with nihilsentimentalgia. I love it here, but doing a doctorate has managed to mess with everything that’s dear to me. My closest family is still tolerating the commitment-turned-obsession, but … Continue reading What is style?
