Imogen Cunningham was an absolute master, as well.. landscapes, nudes, etc. Great pics here.
Sculpture / Natural:
Ruth Asawa – too long a story. she’s in the de young, a friend’s mom. Her life was so amazing. She worked in sculpture but we ended up with an incredibly rare watecolor of lilies she did. Beyond honored and lucky.
Banksy is important. Or was. Or still is.
Jenny Holzer is unreal.. slapping slogans EVERYWHERE. One or two attached, but stuff like “Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise” projected on buildings, etc
By far my favorite is Andy Goldsworthy, and I suggest his River and Tides documentary…
He has a lot of awesome work in the Presidio, which also has endless kid activities and things to do if you ever do a family day. They do on off the grid up there that is awesome. He also has a crack at the De Young which is at the front entrance, which is fascinating. His laborious and ponderous but worthy meditations on art, our relation to nature, temporality, etc is what drives my love of all art…. it changes me as I think about it. It’s like enlightenment.
But I like when there is philosophy bolstering the work… like this photo project called “The Effort to Right Oneself” which is taking the natural imbalance of life and making it visceral, that life is a constant act of falling, and attempt to right oneself in the moment. For this, I consider Kerry Skarbakka a mad genius.
concept statement: target=”_blank”>http://www.skarbakka.com/portfolios/struggle_statement.htm
That stuff is just mind blowing to me, so I am ending it with the more philosophical aspects of art…. why it moves us, and stirs us. Why it’s not just about artist intent but the symbiotic relationship of the viewer divining intent, so it’s this 2 way process that isn’t just inside a vacuum. I love how art isn’t a picture, or painting. It’s buried inside your heart and mind…. and the representations of those things are the commodity…. but it’s to stare into our figurative souls, and see our fears and dreams. It’s profoundly moving to me……
The Struggle to Right Oneself
Philosopher Martin Heidegger described human existence as a process of perpetual falling, and it is the responsibility of each individual to catch ourselves from our own uncertainty. This unsettling prognosis of life informs this body of work. I continually return to questions regarding the nature of control and its effects on this perceived responsibility, since beyond the basic laws that govern and maintain our equilibrium, we live in a world that constantly tests our stability in various other forms. War and rumors of war, issues of security, effects of globalization, and the politics of identity are external gravities turned inward, serving to further threaten the precarious balance of self, exaggerating negative feelings of control.
This photographic work is in response to this delicate state. It comprises a culmination of thought and emotion, a tying together of the threads of everything I perceive life has come to represent. It is my understanding and my perspective, which relies on the shifting human conditions of the world that we inhabit. It’s exploration resides in the sublime metaphorical space from where balance has been disrupted to the definitive point of no return. It asks the question of what it means to resist the struggle, to simply let go. Or what are the consequences of holding on?
Using myself as model and with the aid of climbing gear and other rigging, I photograph the body as it dangles from dangerous precipices or tumbles down flights of stairs. The captured gesture of the body is designed for plausibility of action, which grounds the image in reality. However, it is the ambiguity of the body’s position in space that allows and requires the viewer to resolve the full meaning of the photograph. Do we fall? Can we fly? If we fly then loss of control facilitates supreme control.
It is necessary to point out that I do not consider myself a glorified stuntman; nor do I wish to become a sacrifice to art. Therefore, safety is an important factor, however the work does carry with it a potential risk of personal injury as I engage the moment. This is unavoidable as much of the strength of the images lie in the fact that they are all recorded on location.
The images are layered with references to an experienced background in sculpture and painting, and the cinematic quality of the work suggests the influence of commercial film. The dimensions are important to establish a direct relationship between the image and viewer. The images stand as ominous messages and reminders that we are all vulnerable to losing our footing and grasp. Moreover, they convey the primal qualities of the human condition as a precarious balancing act between the struggle against our desire to survive and our fantasy to transcend our humanness.
But there’s also fun stuff, too. =)
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