N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A,
a blog about photography by Sofia Silva
What happens inside our homes, in the domestic environment, is something that truly fascinates me, particularly when considering how that intimate environment can be brought into the public sphere, with integrity and respect. In the first months of Nihilsentimentalgia that was pretty obvious. I shared artwork by Esko Manniko, Holly Lynton, Tina Barney, Melissa Ann…
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One of my earliest posts featured a couple of photographs by Malerie Marder and ten years later I am very surprised to go through her work and see that she has been seriously addressing intimacy, not only thematically, as core object of her compositions, but also in what the photographic camera, as a technological medium, does, within…
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Some of my early posts were about the body (its modification, mutilation and sexual dimension). At the time I did a lot of performative photography and self-portrait, so these were pressing issues. It’s difficult to structure the line of thought that arises from revisiting these posts, but three main questions keep lingering in my mind:…
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Most people have a very special layer around their bodies (non-scientifically described as a second-skin) that protects them from the outside menaces. I’m sure if we dove into a biological take on this subject, there would be a lot to talk about. However, this second-skin I’m referring to is not that kind of verifiable layer.…
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Documentation of Casey Jenkins‘ performance Casting Off My Womb. Image via http://hyperallergic.com Casting Off My Womb was a 28-day performance by artist Casey Jenkins, that took place at the Darwin Visual Arts Association. A local television network documented the performance and later made it available on youtube, gathering over 6 million views and triggering hundreds of…
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© Sonja Bäumel, Embroidered Tattoo, 2007 The embroidered tattoo is part of the fashion collection “Slow down…”. Latex layers have been revived, reinterpreted and transformed into a skin. A skin embroidered with local tradition. © Sonja Bäumel, Crocheted Membrane, 2008/09 “Our skin has a second layer of skin. A layer full of life, which serves…
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© Yayoi Kusama, Silver Squid Dress, 1968-9 © Yayoi Kusama, Self-Portrait, 1962 © Yayoi Kusama, Horse Play © Yayoi Kusama, Self-Obliteration By Dots, 1968. Photo © Hal Reiff © Yayoi Kusama, photography copyright © Harrie Verstappen “Rather than confirming the ontological coherence of the body-as-presence, body art depends on documentation, confirming-even exacerbating-the supplementarity of the body…
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© Hannah Villiger, Untitled, 1980 – C-print from Polaroid © Hannah Villiger, Sculptural, 1993 © Hannah Villiger, Untitled, 1980/81 – 12 C-prints of polaroids “When trying to describe physical feelings of any kind, we find ourselves shortchanged by language. I arrived at this conclusion after several, always hopelessly crude attempts to describe fundamental moments in…
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© Cara Judea Alhadeff, Lost Valley, from the conscious dream project © Cara Judea Alhadeff, kunst-stoff, from the conscious dream project © Cara Judea Alhadeff, Exploratoreum, from Gestation (singles) © Cara Judea Alhadeff, south american tropical room, from gestation project © Cara Judea Alhadeff, art and revolution’s wailing women heads, from gestation project “As a…
Read MoreThe Aesthetics of Disappearance: A Land Without People @ Sharjah Art Foundation, 2010
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a© Víctor Vázquez, Borders, from the series Body to body, 2005-2009 © Víctor Vázquez, Anthropophagy, from the series Body to body, 2005-2009 “Art produced in the Caribbean teems with images alluding to migratory phenomena of diverse nature, as much for its motivations as for the circumstances of the journey. This imaginary utopia associated with geographic…
Read More© Tanya Marcuse, Maximilian Helmet, c.1510, from the series Undergarments & Armor, 2002-2004 © Tanya Marcuse, Corset with Hip Pad, from the series Undergarments & Armor, 2002-2004 © Tanya Marcuse, Maximilian Armor, c.1510, from the series Undergarments & Armor, 2002-2004 “From the bizarre steatopygous forms of Victorian bustles to the haunting facial masks on medieval…
Read More© Maritza Molina, Cutting the Pattern, 2009 © Maritza Molina, The test of purity, 2009 Maritza Molina´s work is a self-portrait exploring phases of her life’s encounters, discoveries, and changes. She stages herself in her images, as well as other people and objects. Her artwork derives from a personal experience or standpoint, and reflects how…
Read More© Amalia Caputo, La Casa (de Hestia), from the series La Casa, 2009 © Amalia Caputo, La Casa III, from the series La Casa, 2009 More of Amalia’s work can be seen here
Read More© Helen Chadwick, Wigwam – 5 years, from the series Ego Geometria Sum © Helen Chadwick, Bed – 63/4 years, from the series Ego Geometria Sum More of Helen’s work can be seen here
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© Rodrigo Braga, Communion 1, from the series Communion, 2006 © Rodrigo Braga, Communion 3, from the series Communion, 2006 “From diverse works in such way made, result hybrid images, where distinct components become close to each other without never have being fully integrated in something unique. Images where the discomfort of the body…
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© Jocelyn Lee, Untitled (Kara standing), 2005, from the series Portraits © Jocelyn Lee, Untitled (Michelle and Lisa), 2006, from the series Portraits “I photograph portraits because I am curious about people, and our tenacious attempts to find meaning and direction in the world. I am particularly interested in how we reveal our vulnerability,…
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© Mona Kuhn © Mona Kuhn In a subject frequently used by artists, the nude has become a sort of “rite of passage” to those who observe human body in its most basic form. Mona Kuhn’s approach to this classic theme, while acknowledging her predecessors, creates work that is culturally anonymous with rare references…
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© Jemima Stehli
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© Gina Pane © Joel Peter-Witkin © David Nebreda A fotografia vive do espectador que se deixa embalar e o que conseguimos objectivar depois de recuperar desse diálogo, mesmo que transposto em jeito de cítrica, não será nunca o reflexo preciso do jogo psicológico em que estivemos envolvidos. A escrita, como a fotografia, é um…
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N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A, 