Dec 09 2009
Worth a Thousand Words
I walked into the International Center of photography to many photos. However this is the first time I as presented with so many pictures yet I had to look one at a time. Every single one had its own authenticity, its own story, and its own aura.
The Belt, Step 1 to 9 caught my attention the most. As I first looked at it I saw a rather heavy-set woman, however upon further research of the other pictures or steps, it is a woman hiding many layers of fabric. This was very powerful to me in a few ways, that people will get by sometimes by any means necessary; also because it shows that you can show the world whatever face you want but reality can be so drastically different. It’s amazing how extremely cosmetic things can look so very genuine. You choose how the world sees you.
Going beyond what Alex said, I think as a whole the pieces also worked well together in showing contrast between society, and implying deeper meaning not just from the individual artists, but also from the curator of the show.
“You choose how the world sees you” was the absolute essence of the trip to the ICP exhibit. What you see or how you see it all depends on the eye. Like Angela, for you, the pictures said 1000 words. For me, they spelled out stories. Accuracy, however, who knows? No one but the eye of the beholder.
I agree with you on the fact that every picture at the exhibit had several layers (and not just of clothes). There were deeper meanings of human interactions and feelings. The artists took photography to a whole new level with their imaginative approaches to their subjects.