Much like I did with the Contemporary Arts Award I will probably write a longer post with some impressions of all of the finalists who have work that makes me think about my own practice as an arts worker, but, I am very tired and the winner had a piece which includes the subject of selfies in a non-critical light (I wouldn’t call it exactly a positive light either as far as I can tell, its treated as a neutral medium and neutral subject for exploration, which honestly pleases me.)
The piece is called ‘Transillumination’
It is a piece that involves hundreds of mobile phone photographs. 750 mobile phone photographs. These photographs are interesting takes on the selfie, each photograph is a self portrait, capturing light through different parts of his body. I find it to be a pretty cool an interesting take on work about mobile phone portraiture, and enjoying seeing it treated in this light.
Here is the text about this piece from his website:
“Transillumination
2015-2016
Pigment print on cotton rag
173cm x 160cm
Edition of 6 + 2 AP
Transillumination is a photographic project comprised of hundreds of self-portraits created by capturing the transmission of light through different parts of my body. The work is a result of experimentation with mobile phone photography to create new and unexpected interpretations of portraiture—specifically the selfie. Transillumination of the skin is performed to visualise subsurface blood volume and blood oxygen saturation; however, by repeating the process—there are seven hundred and fifty photos in total—the effect is subsumed to create an ambiguous sequence of images that exist somewhere between art and life, and the organic and inorganic. There’s nothing more intimate than a blood portrait—in a way it’s the ultimate selfie. However, equally, there’s nothing less ordinary than a mobile phone selfie. I view the work, which itself is a hybrid process between performance and photography, as both an abstract self-portrait and binary landscape. Viewing it like this displaces the human/non-human duality, and reflects upon the shifting boundaries between bodies and technologies, and humans and machines.”
Interesting stuff!
Also, this guy has a sense of humor about him, which I’m enjoying. One of the very fun things is his piece I don’t understand modern art
Check it out, its fun. :p
If anyone is out there reading this, I’d like to know your reflections. What do you think about this take on the selfie? Too ‘modern art’ for you, or, is this piece up your alley? I wanna know. :p
Also I’m going to tack this onto the end of this post here, if you’re a Brisbane young or emerging artist the Lord Mayors Emerging Artist Fellowships grants have opened and close on the 24th so if you’re eligible you should super get in on the action.
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/community-safety/grants-awards/arts-history/lord-mayors-young-emerging-artists-fellowships
