The art work explores the themes of archive, history, memory, and identity. The artist’s photo-based works on display are a continuation of his research, showcasing celluloid photographs taken from the colonial archive, mainly Italian postcards. The artist has experimented with the concept of decay, which old celluloid photographs tend to undergo, resulting in an aesthetically appealing effect that parallels the decay of power structures. The works on display also seek to question the ways in which the camera has been used as a weapon to perpetuate stereotypes against specific groups of people. The exhibition invites us to contemplate who and how we remember individuals and communities in history, and the role of archiving and documenting in shaping our understanding of the past.
As we look at this kind of archival photographs, we are invited to consider the misrepresentation and exploitation, including nudity, depicted in them. The images were commercialized and continue to be so, raising questions about ownership as many of the images were collected from western archival institutions. This parallel with Barbara Kruger’s Most Famous Artworks <HOW OWNS WHAT> underscores the exhibition’s overarching theme of challenging notions of power and identity.
The celluloid photographs exhibited here can be thought of as desires or memories, captured on a fragile and ephemeral medium that can deteriorate over time. The artist has intentionally chosen images that have undergone this natural phenomenon of decay, stripping them of their original intentions. These images serve as a reminder that like our own bodies, the celluloid medium is fragile and subject to the ravages of time. Yet, what is contained within is who we are – our thoughts, dreams, and memories – and these will be reprised as something new and more lasting.
The work invites you to contemplate and raise questions about the construction of social stereotypes, the perpetuation of systems of inclusion and exclusion in society, and our own memories and identities.
The art work explores the themes of archive, history, memory, and identity. The artist’s photo-based works on display are a continuation of his research, showcasing celluloid photographs taken from the colonial archive, mainly Italian postcards. The artist has experimented with the concept of decay, which old celluloid photographs tend to undergo, resulting in an aesthetically appealing effect that parallels the decay of power structures. The works on display also seek to question the ways in which the camera has been used as a weapon to perpetuate stereotypes against specific groups of people. The exhibition invites us to contemplate who and how we remember individuals and communities in history, and the role of archiving and documenting in shaping our understanding of the past.
As we look at this kind of archival photographs, we are invited to consider the misrepresentation and exploitation, including nudity, depicted in them. The images were commercialized and continue to be so, raising questions about ownership as many of the images were collected from western archival institutions. This parallel with Barbara Kruger’s Most Famous Artworks <HOW OWNS WHAT> underscores the exhibition’s overarching theme of challenging notions of power and identity.
The celluloid photographs exhibited here can be thought of as desires or memories, captured on a fragile and ephemeral medium that can deteriorate over time. The artist has intentionally chosen images that have undergone this natural phenomenon of decay, stripping them of their original intentions. These images serve as a reminder that like our own bodies, the celluloid medium is fragile and subject to the ravages of time. Yet, what is contained within is who we are – our thoughts, dreams, and memories – and these will be reprised as something new and more lasting.
The work invites you to contemplate and raise questions about the construction of social stereotypes, the perpetuation of systems of inclusion and exclusion in society, and our own memories and identities.