Starting later in life than many photographers, she was 30 when given a camera, she concentrates on her home city. Focusing on what she sees around her that most people overlook, and not restricting herself to a single type of subject, she embodies the post-modernist outlook on art. Hosting exhibitions on concrete pillars and selling photocopies of the her works cheaply she further rejects the traditional view of who should be able to appreciate photography. Coming from a working class background, art accessible to the public is something she passionately believes in, although she does still have shows in major galleries to her name.
Passionate about meeting people, her outlook on life is probably best summed up by this quote from The New Yorker magazine, “If a lesbian anarchist can drive into the desert, knock on a stranger’s door, and go into a trailer where there’s a bunch of guns, and leave with kisses, a promise to return, and a cup of Sanka to go, all’s right in the world at that moment”. This freedom of what to photograph and who to interact with defines the spirit of her work.
These two photographs from her recent work, “America” illustrates the diversity of subjects at a glance. Yet they both, in their own way, record something that is everyday and yet intriguing. The first photograph, is a roadway that could be in many places in the world – the perspective draws me in and wants me to find out where it goes, while the bright yellow sign on the right is intriguing me to find out more. It's such a simple message, but what is it really saying? Why here? How many people drive by this every day and don't think anything of it? I know I did exactly the same when I commuted 30 miles to and from work each day – it takes a photographer to take a picture before we stop and think.
As a rule, I'm not generally into portraits, they're just not my thing. However this one has my interest. Who is she? Where is she? What is her story? Her face suggests she's seen some interesting things in her time. She isn't young and she isn't beautiful, and her surroundings are far from glamorous, exactly the sort of person overlooked by much of contemporary media, and yet Strauss has not shied away from photographing her. If all portraiture was as real and unmade up as this, then perhaps I would have more time for it – perhaps its the artificiality puts me off, rather than the subject.
References:
Rorring, Rollo, "Zoe Strauss Meets Strangers", The New Yorker, 27 October 2010
[Audio interview], "2005: The Year In Stories", WHYY, 25 April 2005
No comments:
Post a Comment