Kinfolk and Mayari (Week 4)

“Now we all take it for granted that a photograph can be Photoshopped. We live in the era of YouTube fame and reality TV shows and makeovers, where you can be anything you want to be any minute of the day, and artists are responding to that. Cindy was one of the first to explore the idea of the malleability or fluidity of identity.” 

- Eva Respini, The Cindy Sherman Effect by Phoebe Hoban

I love that Cindy Sherman explores different personas through photography and dressing up. She was the first to do it in her own way. My social media feeds in high school and college were filled with friends constantly exploring their identities by changing their looks. We do it in a way to impress others online but Cindy Sherman didn’t care what other people thought about her work. She was doing it to truly explore herself and it takes bravery to do that. Especially during a time when art was male-dominated.

“[Heffernan] credits Sherman with ‘giving me permission to dig deeper and trust what I would find there. It was like she was telling us secrets at a slumber party and we all got more wild and indiscreet along with her.’” 

- Julie Heffernan, The Cindy Sherman Effect by Phoebe Hoban

It’s great learning about how Cindy Sherman opened a lot of doors for many women in art. I love that this article includes commentary from other artists who can speak to how empowered they felt seeing Cindy Sherman’s work.

“The photographs are not self-portraits, nor do they depict her fantasies. She uses herself because it’s simpler, she says. She can push herself harder than any model, and she can avoid small talk.” 

-Parul Sehgal, The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman 

This says a lot about Cindy Sherman’s personality. She’s introverted and very particular about how she wants things done. I think she should’ve tried posing other people for her photographs because it would have opened up a whole new realm of possibilities and stories to be told.

“These women are not metaphors, they are not waiting to be represented, rescued or destroyed. They are gloriously, catastrophically themselves, and we meet them on their own terms — as we so frequently meet each other — in stagy, embarrassing, endearing selfies launched into the world.”

-Parul Sehgal, The Ugly Beauty of Cindy Sherman

This quote is describing her “mock self-portraits” Instagram posts from 2017. I find it really interesting watching her style evolve over time. She went from using film to digital editing. The Instagram posts are different from her previous work because it’s more cartoonish, but they still feel like Sherman’s work. I hope to see her continue experimenting with different mediums and hopefully with other people or subjects for her photos.

Kinfolk

Danielle Scott created her exhibit, Kinfolk to learn and connect with her ancestors. She did a lot of research through books and by visiting slave plantations in the southern United States. She learned stories about African slaves, saw their homes, and picked real cotton like they did. Their stories have been neglected and erased for centuries. Scott has brought their stories to life with her pieces. She’s giving them justice by acknowledging and celebrating their lives. 
    Charlotte Noble is a portrait of a working-class African American woman. I assume that she’s a cotton picker because a real cotton plant appears on her right side and the background looks like it’s set in a field. The artist Danielle Scott added patterned paper to embellish the woman’s clothing and hat. The way Scott cut and placed the paper complements the folds in the fabric of the woman’s shirt. Scott’s embellishments seem like she’s dressing up this woman in something she would actually wear. The decorated paper Scott chose reminds me of bright and colorful African clothing patterns. By doing this, Scott is giving this woman, who is likely a slave, her identity and individuality back. 
Her facial expression is what struck me when I first looked at this piece. There are a lot of layers to the expression on her face. With her hand on her hip and her concerned eyebrows, she looks like she’s tired and we’re bothering her. Her lips are slightly pursed like she’s holding in a laugh. She could be looking at her slave owner, unimpressed, waiting for him to say whatever he needs to say while she’s thinking about a million other things she needs to get done. She’s giving us a look that says we’re wasting her time. When I saw this look I was reminded of this quote by Bell Hooks, “That all attempts to repress our/black peoples’ right to gaze has produced in us an overwhelming longing to look, a rebellious desire, and oppositional gaze.” (Hooks) I think that Charlotte Noble is a great example of the oppositional gaze and I hope it was Scott's intention when she picked this photo.
The facial expression of the woman in Charlotte Noble is relatable to me. I see the face of a hardworking woman. You can see how tired she is and her facial expression is telling me that she doesn’t want to be bothered with my foolishness. She resonated with me because I can see myself in her. I can relate to the feeling of constantly working long hours, being tired, and wanting to give up but I don’t. I work through it. My time is precious and between work and school, I can’t have anyone wasting my time. This is the exact look Charlotte Noble is giving me. 
    There are many elements in Scott’s Kinfolk pieces that feel familiar and warm. "Everyone can relate to this work… It’s so universal and yet representation like this is so rare" (Sann). Charlotte Noble represents me, a mother, a daughter, a sister, or a friend. Scott has a unique ability to showcase humanity in her portraits. Her other pieces show grandmas, children, mothers, and fathers. Scott’s display of her kinfolk reminds us to think about our own kinfolk.

Danielle Scott, Charlotte Noble, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2022

Danielle Scott, Charlotte Noble, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2022

    Scott's piece titled Celestine was felt powerful and personal to me. Three little girls are pictured, with a halo around the girl in the middle. I related to this because I have two sisters, and I’m the middle child. I was struck wth intrigue when I saw this because it was so similar to my life on the surface. Today, my relationship with my sister is not as good as it used to be. This piece reminds me of when me and my sisters were younger and our mom dressed us in matching dresses when we went out. We have many childhood photos where my sisters and I were forced to take a photo. We looked like these girls in Celestine. The girl on the right is the only one happy to be there. The other two girls look like they don’t want to pose for this photo. It’s funny because I can see me and my sisters in these girls faces. My little sister loves the lime light so she’s the girl sitting on the right, I’m in the middle with the halo around my head, and my older siter is on the left side. 
I think there are assumptions of stereotypical roles within a group of siblings but here’s a brief description of our personalities- my older sister is quiet, reserved, introverted but very intelligent, I’m the existentialist, sometimes shy but feisty when the situation calls for it, I feel like I get overlooked/underestimated most of the time, my little sister gets the most attention for being the baby of the group which gives her confidence, she’s also very intelligent and extroverted, she’s the favorite because she’s following the stereotypical Filipino “dream career” path-- a nurse. These are the personalities I grew up with and when I was young I guess I just assumed that all , siblings act like this too. But when I look at this photo of the three girls, I feel like I’m projecting these personalities on to them. The way the girl wearing the green dress on the right is seated with her head slightly titled tells me that she’s the little sister. She’s the confident one because she knows she’s loved and constantly gets reassured. The gril on the left side who is slightly taller than the other two must be the oldest. She has her hands folded because she was taught to follow all the rules. And the girl in the middle, is me, she’s always stuck in the middle of being an older and a younger sister. She’s angry, or concerned at whomever this is taking this photo of her. The emotion on her face feels like it expands outward, like an aura, because her halo reaches out in different layers, first in green, then in a pale greenish yellow, and then red. This could be symbolic for her emotions changing and affecting others surround her. 
    I see much of myself and my sisters in this piece but I can’t imagine the circumstances during which this photograph was taken. I wonder if these are young girls who are being colonized. I love that Scott placed patterned paper over the dresses these girls are wearing. I think they’re wearing plain clothes given to them by their colonizers. It reminds me of Native American children who were being converted to Christianity. The girls look like they were stripped of their clothing and are being forced to assimilate. I wonder what effect the photograph has without the additions done by Scott. “To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed.” (Sontag) The photo alone would give us a contextual clues and historical information, but Scott’s additions give us an emotional experience. She makes us focus more on the feelings and emotions between these girls. She was really successful in making me feel connected to my childhood with Celestine.

 Danielle Scott, Celestine, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2022

 Danielle Scott, Celestine, mixed medium assemblage and resin, 2022

Works Cited

Hooks, Bell. “Chapter 7 The Oppositional Gaze.” Black Looks: Race and Representation, Routledge, New York, 1992, pp. 115–131.

Palumbo, Jacqui. “Revisiting Carrie Mae Weems's Landmark ‘Kitchen Table Series.’” Artsy, 19 Aug. 2020, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-revisiting-carrie-mae-weemss-landmark-kitchen-table-series.

Denise Abadies, Mayari, 2023

The photo I decided to share for this assignment was inspired by Danielle Scott's Athena.  

I was inspired by her representation of beauty. 

My long straight black hair has always been a part of my identity. I've changed my hair color before and after a while I wasn't a fan of it because I just felt like it wasn't me. My long, straight black hair connects me to my Filipino roots. I can grow it to great lengths, and it'll still be thick and strong. My type of hair goes back generations and I'm grateful to have it. 

For the caption I started looking up "Filipino version of Athena" and I started reading up on Filipino mythology. I decided to name this Mayari because she is the goddess of the moon and the ruler of the world during nighttime. I found myself trying to explore my roots, like Danielle Scott did for her series. I resonated with Mayari because I'm quite an insomniac. I've always felt connected to the moon and I study better at night when everyone is asleep. 

I've been like this since the 8th grade, and when I stay up late, I like to consider myself as the ruler of the nighttime. Everyone is asleep so I get to do whatever I want at night. 

Danielle Scott, Athena, 2022