I’m understandably knackered after last night. I asked an utterly beautiful friend of mine today if I could photograph her for this exhibition I keep talking about, and got an interesting answer. She was annoyed that I thought she was beautiful.
I think an important function of art is creating something beautiful, but I’ve read enough about the male gaze to know the history of female objectification in art history, which is why I’m doing portraits of women I know, hopefully portraits that express the personality of the subject. The women I’ve photographed (or intend to photograph) look quite different from each other, although I’ve favoured women with black or red hair and pale skin. Not all of them are conventionally beautiful (a criteria which becomes more narrow and scientific each year), but they are all inarguably at least very pretty. I want to photograph them because of their features and/or personality. So the set of prints will be a selection of women that I know who I think are beautiful. Technically this is sexist. I’m objectifying them and portraying them as I see them.
Now, is this a bad thing?
Complicated Questions soundtrack:
Good Stuff ~The B-52’s
X ~Kylie Minogue
The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams ~Me’Shell Ndegéocello
