SENIOR EXHIBITION SERIES - ADDICTED.
My show was Monday April 25th. I can't believe my college career is coming to an end! I've been working on this series/exhibition for a year and it all came down to last nights reception. It was a great turn out and everyone seemed please with my work. It still seems surreal that it is all over!
The initial inspiration for my work came from a few television shows I watch that document addictions. The shows compelled me to start thinking about how everyone possesses an element of addiction in them whether it be something minute or serious. Addiction and consumerism has come to be a large part of American culture. We base our lives around material things from coffee to shopping. As a whole, we have grown to be habitually or compulsively dependent on material items. It is important that we are aware of our personal addictions and cultural consumerism. We can then think about it critically and assess whether or not our consumer desires are healthy. Through this series, I chose to express this idea while incorporating my passion for photographing people.
Over the past few years, I have grown to love and appreciate film and black and white photography. When it came to choosing a medium there was no hesitation in selecting 35mm film. Scanning the film and printing my images digitally allowed for more control, enabling me to refine each photograph. The grain of the film fit well with my concept, giving rawness to the images. In every image, my love for high contrast photographs is exhibited. I wanted the addiction to be part of the person and show a side of someone that nobody sees. I portrayed this by projecting the product or object onto the body. The projected image then becomes part of the subject similar to an imprint or tattoo. Each person chose which addiction they wanted to emulate, whether it be a true dependency or not.
I have been inspired for this series by photographers Abelardo Morell, Sally Mann, and Diane Arbus. Abelardo Morell’s work with the camera obscura speaks to me. He imprints the outside world into the indoor space giving a similar feeling that I chose to evoke by using the projector. Both Sally Mann and Diane Arbus photograph people in a beautiful, raw way, showing what the viewer does not know or want to necessarily see. These renowned artists motivated me to create this body of work.
Walking away from my show I hope that people can take a deeper look into their own lives. I want viewers to study my photographs and think critically about their own addictions to material items. In assessing your own addictions you can learn to simplify your life and focus on what is most important. Through this yearlong study I have not only gained a greater compassion for portrait photography, but also discovered my own addictions to consumer products.
