Monday, 30 April 2012

Saatchi Gallery

I've been wanting to visit the saatchi gallery for some time now, and this time round it was a must. With such diverse, well rounded of photographers. The exhibition had gave us an insight, on modern photographers of today.

Mariah Robertson

One that stood out for me was Mariah Robertsons rolled up piece (image 88) that had one of the guards stand next to it which was in gallery 7 first floor. As tempting to unroll this piece even further, I refrained.  Robertson quotes ‘When do the rules of photography limit creativity?’ She had tried to create something that breaks almost all conventions in photography in terms of scale, the way in which had been laid out tempting viewers to come take a closer look and unravel this oversized roll of film, which seemed a bit harsh. Her influences include ‘alternative historical processes from photography’s shadowy beginnings with Victorian chemical hobbyists.’ She welcomes accidents be it Solarizations and photograms in the man ray mode, irregular chemical reactions, negative collage, games with filters. The end result that comes from these final pieces that she’s succumbed to show the viewers are quite abstract. This questions is this body of work art? Or photography? This body of work has a Kandinsky esque feel to it, be it intended or not. Quoting what Charles Baudelaire had stated on this idea of photography bring an art. He attacked the way the ‘modern public’ had mistaken photography as an art because it accurately recorded ‘nature.’ From this idea in which he had I can see why he thinks that, but there is an art form to photography. I’d like to think that the lenses are a type of paint brushe or different type of pencil to give different types of tonal range. Tableux pieces for example. Where the images are constructed with models positioned and are held as if they were posing for a painter. There were also ways back then to alter the images with a brush whilst they’re still wet as though it were a canvas. I think in a sense there are certain things in which are quite similar but not to an extent where they’re both exact.
John Stezaker


David Benjamin Sherry

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