Tuesday, November 25, 1997
Latest LACMA exhibit focuses on creativity
PHOTOGRAPHY: Art show examines various forms, presentation
techniques
By Dayna Michaelsen
Daily Bruin Contributor
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s latest photography
exhibit is a feast for the eyes and mind. The museum is currently
displaying a collection of photographs that represent a variety in
both form and content that is somewhat overwhelming.
Colorful splashes and black-and-white images adorn the gallery
these days, compliments of the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. There
are swirls of color and light, stark faces, and geometric shapes
that leap out from the plain white walls on which the photographs
are hung. Many of the photographs are clear and obvious, but others
play tricks on the viewer.
It takes a very close look at Arthur Siegel’s "Right of
Assembly," for example, to reveal that the deceptive image is
actually an aerial photo of a tightly packed crowd. Anthony Aziz’s
"Discontinued … No!" appears at first glance to be a collection
of useful items, ranging from computer parts to deodorant bottles.
The surprise is that the objects are nothing more than imaginary
forms created by the photographer. While the lemons with ominous
black insides of Jo Whaley’s "After Zurbaran" are in sharp focus,
other photographs are tweaked and blurred to be abstract and
unclear.
The photographs on display range in size from huge to tiny.
Laurie Simmon’s "New Kitchen, Aerial View," for example, is a tiny
picture of a tiny plastic kitchen that will bring back memories of
Barbie houses complete with miniature pancakes. Other photographs
take up almost an entire wall.
A popular subject of the photographs on display seems to be
American culture, though the photographers represented are from
Germany, France, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Russia, Brazil and Mexico.
Two of Joel Sternfeld’s photographs are set in Malibu, Calif., and
are a sight to behold. The first, titled "A Woman at Home in
Malibu," is the picture of a woman in a decidedly psychedelic
unitard leaning against a glass table that is scattered with pasta
that looks like it would only be eaten in Southern California.
Its partner, "Investment Banker at Home, Malibu, California,"
shows a man in leopard print underwear (we’re not talking boxers
here) sitting on a stationary bike while he talks on the phone and
reads the newspaper. Did Sternfeld mean to be a little
stereotypical, or is that how people really see life in
California?
Another example of Southern California caught on film is John
Humble’s "Selma Avenue at Vine Street, Hollywood, January 30,
1991." Amid signs advertising KIIS-FM and other popular Los Angeles
radio stations is the billboard of the famous blond, big-busted
"Angelyne" in all her glory. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s "Rubidoux Drive-In"
portrays that American staple flanked by the silhouettes of palm
trees. What draws the viewers eyes in this photo is the blank white
screen glowing in the twilight.
The photographs are displayed by subject, such as photographs of
people or nature. Though this may be a natural grouping, it can be
counterproductive at times. With so many different types of
photographs in each group, this almost simplistic way of displaying
them occasionally detracts from the richness of the photographs
themselves.
Not all of the pictures on display have come straight from the
photographer’s camera to land on the gallery walls untouched. Many
have been altered by artists such as Todd Walker, who has
superimposed the words, "A photograph of a leaf is not a leaf. It
may not even be a photograph," over his photo. Others have been
drawn upon and manipulated so that they bear no resemblance to the
original photo.
Whoever said that photographs are thin and flat has obviously
never seen Alfredo Jaar’s "Nguyen, Four Times." Jaar has
transformed his photo of a child into a light box form that changes
the image at regular intervals. It’s not unusual to see museum
visitors examining the device closely to see how it works.
With such a variety of subjects and methods of photography, the
boundaries of this art are endless. As artists such as Jaar and
others work with new media and types of display, the art of
photography will continue to expand. For now, however, the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
have done a wonderful job of assembling a great exhibit of
photography.
PHOTOGRAPHY: The exhibit will run through Feb. 23, 1998. Tickets
are museum are $6 for adults and $4 with a student ID. The second
Tuesday of every month is free. For more information, call (213)
857-6000.