Precious Images (1986) 8 mins. by Chuck Workman
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In many of her works, Arbeles combines common objects, such as wine bottles and newspapers, with male nudes, who are also positioned as props. The scale and spatial relationships between the components within each photograph and the flattened surfaces reflect how many of us view images today through computer monitors. The screen is basically a flattened space with many layered windows piled onto each other. (Left to Right: Red, Rock, Cigarettes, Newspaper, Body, Wood, Lycra, Bottle. 2011 & Too _____ to ____. 2012)
Birdhead consists of two artists – Ji Weiyu and Song Tao. These two photographers, shown in the photo located at the center of the grid (The Song of Early Spring. 2012), work together to photograph daily scenes from their hometown, Shanghai. Their “compulsive” photography reflects how people currently use programs such as Facebook or Instagram to document random scenes from their daily lives.
Some of the other photographers also included in this exhibit are Anne Collier, Zoe Crosher, and Shirana Shahbazi. Each of these artists have distinct characteristics and use different subjects and methods. Anne Collier does a lot of still-life photography with compositions that are arranged very carefully on plain, flat surfaces. Zoe Crosher’s works were drawn from a collection of self-portraits by Michelle duBois and she arranged them according to the direction of Michelle duBois’ gaze. Shirana Shahbazi photographs include still-life, landscape, portraiture, and abstract patterns. Her works are generally more vivid in color compared to the other artists (excluding Michele Arbeles).
