Manipulating Words to Capture Reality
Walking into this exhibit, the serene quietness forces every viewer to tiptoe around the pieces and soak up their messages; sometimes straightforward and other times abstract and hidden. The structure of the exhibit with its sectioned walls and its maze-like effect, matched the creativity of the art. With displays from names like Andreas Feininger to Jill Mathis, each photographer truly captures the essence of the theme of “between language and photography.”
Catching immediate attention is the centerpiece of the exhibit, “Sea Island Series” by Carrie Mae Weems. Its message focuses on the stigmas and superstitions that were passionately believed during the credulous 1940’s. This piece is a collaboration of three separate photographs. The first is the painstaking face of a black woman, with tears trickling down. She is frozen in complete fear and it can be assumed that the cause of her agony is superstitious beliefs. A list of superstitions is displayed in the next photograph: “If your palm itches, you gonna get some money. If your nose itches, somebody is coming to visit…” The last is a desolated, vacant chair that seems to elude to this eerie, mysterious mood of the setting. The chair with its armrests pointing outward at the viewer seems to wait for someone to come and sit. Weems shows her expertise as she manipulates the natural lighting and shadows to enhance the overall view of the photographs.
Just as powerful in its symbolic message is Candace Scharsu’s “Female Child Soldier’s Chest Branded by RUF rebels.” This female is forever imprinted with these letters as if she is an animal that is marked and numbered for recognition. She encapsulates the cruelty and immorality faced by the child soldiers in war-torn Sierra Leonoe, West Africa. With the recent controversy about this issue, this photograph exposes the unimaginable pain and life of struggle of these innocent victims in corrupt hands. Scharsu did not even show the female’s face, but the mere focus of her branded skin along with the color contrast of the white hand of Scharsu, was powerful enough.
Overall, this exhibit was an open arena to roam and explore the displays in a personable, intimate way. These photographers reveal the “words, signs, and symbols in photography” that are usually ignored by the average person. Through the passion and vitality of these photographs, viewers can use their imagination for a unique interpretation.