Carrie Mae Weems
Carrie Mae Weems was born in Portland, Oregon in 1953. Weems studied modern dance in San Francisco after graduating. Weems then decided to continue her studies at the California Institute of Arts, Valencia. Wems then continued on to receive a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. It wasn’t until Weems came across the book, “The Black Photography Annual” a book by African American photographers that she became interested in photography as an art form. Carrie Mae Weems has earned several awards including being named the Photographer of the Year by the Friends of Photography. Later Weems was awarded the Distinguished Photographers Award in 2005. Weems is now represented by Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.
Weems is a photographer and artist and is known for taking black and white photographs involving race, family, and gender issues. Storytelling plays a large roll in Carrie Mae’s work she often intertwines themes that have occurred in her life. Weems first collection, “Family Pictures and Stories” was documentary of her family. This collection built characters and a voice for her following work “Ain’t Jokin” and “Kitchen Table” series. Weems made a statement in regards to using her family in her images, “My family becomes the representational vehicle that allows me to enter the larger discussion of race, class, and historical migration.” Weems work often relates back to her African heritage so it seems appropriate that she would photograph her family. Another statement that Weems made was, “Digital technology has enabled me to enlarge my photographs to a scale that allows the viewer to enter physically into the work of art. Each series was a multi-media installation, encompassing digitally produced images on muslin cloth and canvas and an artist-recorded audio piece.” I found this interesting because I have been wondering and thinking of ideas on how to hang my work for my current series.
I have actually seen Weems work, “The Kitchen Table Series” on display in a gallery before a couple years ago. I am attracted to Weem’s photographs and how they tell stories. Through Weems photographs she has expressed he own experiences of the world. I am captivated by the lighting in Weems photographs it is striking and delicate. I have been working on the lighting in my photographs and trying to resolve the issues I had with the light causing colorcasts in my photographs.
Quotes
“Her work speaks to human experience and of the multiple aspects of individual identity, arriving at a deeper understanding of humanity.”
Mary Jane Jacobs, “Ritual and Revolution”
“Digital technology has enabled me to enlarge my photographs to a scale that allows the viewer to enter physically into the work of art. Each series was a multi-media installation, encompassing digitally produced images on muslin cloth and canvas and an artist-recorded audio piece.” ----Carrie Mae Weems
Website: http://carriemaeweems.net/
Gallery: Carrie Mae Weems most recent exhibition was, “The Deconsructive Impulse: Women Artists reconfigure the Signs of Power, 1973-1991. Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, Purchase, NY Jan. 15- April 3, 2011
Carrie Mae Weems, "Family Pictures and Stories"
Image from American Icons, 1988-1989
Carrie Mae Weems, "Kitchen Table"
black and white Image 1990
Carrie Mae Weems, "Kitchen Table"
black and white image 1990
Carrie Mae Weems, "Slave Coast"
Image from Who, What, When, Where 1998
Carrie Mae Weems, "Framed by Modernism"
Seduced by One Another Yet Bound by Certain
Social Conventions, 1996
Works cited
Carrie Mae Weems. 10 April 2011. <http://carriemaeweems.net/index.html>.
Carrie Mae Weems. Wikipedia. 25 February 2011. 10 April 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Mae_Weems>.
No comments:
Post a Comment