1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating  with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.

‘The Americans’ – Robert Frank, Published 1958.

“The Americans” is Robert Frank’s vivid firsthand reportage from the contradictory and out-in-the-open society of America in the 1950s: alienation, social rifts, and chasms between the American dream and reality. Here indeed is the documentation of life, through unpolished, often unorthodox images, with grainy, blurred compositions and odd views where even the emotional intensity is powerfully felt in the visual representation. A documentary style mixes personal vision and brutal facts: an aesthetic deprivation in full strength with a critical, nuanced view of America.

2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)

Robert Frank, 1924 – 2019.

Robert Frank created The Americans for a personal, critical view of American society, a reaction to the gulf between glamorized imagery and lived social realities. He was intent on assaulting the conformity of 1950s America, with a special focus on the racial and economic disparities that he believed the country bred. The book was targeted at just about anyone, but especially the people who were in doubt about what postwar America stood for. Reaction was mixed at first: some hailed its innovation, while others spurned it as a false view of America. Over the years, it became one of the most talked about works in the picture world, transformed the documentary photograph, and made Frank’s name as a pioneering visual artist.

Sources:

Robert Frank: The Americans

https://blascontextnarrative.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/robert-frank-the-americans/embed/#?secret=J8QQCj8dFP#?secret=KFk0QbuTtW

https://www.moma.org/artists/1973

3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:

• Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper. -A book smells like a delicate blend of fresh paper, ink, and time—an earthy, nostalgic scent that mingles the crispness of the new with the mustiness of the old.

• Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both. -In The Americans, Robert Frank uses black-and-white photographs printed on textured paper, enhancing the raw, gritty realism of his documentary style.

• Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages. –The Americans is a large, landscape-format book with 83 photographs spread across 128 pages, allowing Frank’s images to have a wide, immersive impact.

• Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello – The Americans has a hardcover binding with a dust jacket and uses Swiss binding, allowing the book to open flat and display its photographs with durability.

• Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping. -The cover of The Americans is made of cardboard with a printed image and embossed title, reflecting the raw, simple aesthetic of Frank’s work.

• Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing. – The title The Americans is literal, referring to the subjects of the book, yet intriguing as it suggests a deeper exploration of the complexities and contradictions within American society.

• Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told? -In The Americans, Robert Frank tells a story of postwar America through raw, black-and-white photographs that capture moments of alienation, social tension, and vulnerability, offering a critical and fragmented view of the nation’s complexities and contradictions.

• Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative. –In The Americans, Robert Frank uses a deliberate structure of seemingly unconnected, yet thematically linked, images to create a visual rhythm that reflects the fragmentation and diversity of American society, with repeating motifs such as shadows, reflections, and isolated figures reinforcing the themes of alienation and social disconnection.

• Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts. – In The Americans, the design and layout feature a mix of single-page and double-spread images, with varying image sizes that create a dynamic flow, while the use of sparse grid-like arrangements and occasional full-bleed photographs enhances the emotional impact, allowing the viewer to experience the narrative in a way that emphasizes both intimacy and expansiveness.

• Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process. -In The Americans, Robert Frank’s editing and sequencing of images carefully juxtapose moments of stark contrast, such as joy and despair, to highlight the tension and complexity of American life, with each photograph chosen for its ability to convey a deeper narrative, while the overall sequencing creates a rhythm that intensifies the emotional resonance of the book.

• Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others.  Use of captions (if any.) -In “The Americans”, Robert Frank links images through sequencing rather than captions, allowing the photographs to speak universally, while Jack Kerouac’s poetic introduction provides a thematic frame, inviting viewers to interpret the fragmented reality of post-war America on their own terms.

UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS:
NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION 

Literary sources: Go to this blog post here: Theory: Literary Sources and copy relevant key texts relating to the subject of your essay and list in alphabetical order in your bibliography. In addition, find your own key texts in relation to artists selected for in-depth analysis in your essay and list these too. These texts could be interviews with the artist, or reviews/ critique’s written by others. See useful online sites/ sources here .

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages, page number to be used for in-text referencing etc.

Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

possible-essay-questions-to-investigate

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question:

How have concepts of childhood, loss and memory been explored in the photo books of Yury Toropstov and Laia Abril?

In what wat is identity and autobiography expressed in the work of Chino Otsuka and Tom Hunter?

In what way does Justine Kurland and Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work?

To what extend is autobiography explored in the work of Jim Goldberg and Jo Spence?

• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used –

Wells L. (1998). ‘The Photographic Gaze’ in Photography: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

Kelly, A. (1998). ‘Self Image: Personal is Political’ in Photography: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge.

Jansen, C. (2017). Girl on Girl: Art and Photography in the Age of the Female Gaze. London: Laurence King Publishing

Goldberg, J. (5 `May 2005) A Completely True Work of Fiction: Jim Goldberg’s Raised By Wolves. Magnum Photos: (https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/jim-goldberg-raised-by-wolves/). [Accessed Date Accessed]

Goldberg, J. (2 June 2021). Fingerprint: Tracing the Roots of Jim Goldberg’s Raised by Wolves. Magnum Photos: (https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/fingerprint-tracing-roots-jim-goldbergs-raised-by-wolves/) [Accessed Date Accessed]

Jim Goldberg – Coming and Going

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/01/jim-goldberg-magnum-photographer-coming-and-going-book-raised-by-wolves-interview

Bull, S. (2009), ‘Phototherapy: The Family Album and Beyond‘ in Photography. London: Routledge.

Kuhn, A. ‘Remembrance: The Child I Never Was’ in Wells, L. (ed) (2003) The Photography Reader. London: Routledge

Martin, R and Spence, J. (2002) ‘Photo-Therapy: Psychic Realism as a healing art’ in Well, L. The Photography Reader. London: Routledge.

Jo Spence Memorial Library. London: Birkbeck: University of London.

Dennett, T. (2008): Jo Spence’s camera therapy: personal therapeutic photography as a response to adversity European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling (Volume 11, 2009 – Issue 1: Phototheraphy and Therapeutic Photography)

Heath, C. (2017). Work, Politics, Survival, British Journal of Photography

Weiser, J. (2005) Remembering Jo Spence: A Brief Personal and Professional Memoir… PhotoTherapy Centre

Jansen, C. (2020) Is Photography An Effective Form of Therapy? Elephant

Dennett, T. (2013). ‘Jo Spence’s Family Album’ in Family Politics, Issue 20. Brighton: Photoworks

Essay writing: Here is a link to another blog post which will provide you with guideline about how to structure each paragraph in your essay.

ESSAY WRITING

Essay introduction (draft)

To what extend is autobiography explored in the work of Jim Goldberg and Jo Spence?

Opening quote: use something Goldberg or Spence has said from any of the key text in your bibliography

Autobiography, as a theme in contemporary art, allows artists to reflect on and question the intersection of personal experience with broader social, political, and cultural contexts. In the work of photographers Jim Goldberg and Jo Spence, autobiography is explored not merely as a form of self-reflection but as a tool for social critique and identity construction. While both artists engage deeply with their personal lives, their approaches diverge significantly in terms of methodology, subject matter, and intent. Goldberg’s work blends documentary photography with personal narrative, using text to reveal the intimate relationships between himself and his subjects, thus embedding his autobiography within a larger social commentary on class, power, and marginalization. On the other hand, Jo Spence’s autobiographical exploration is overt and personal, often focusing on her own body and health, particularly through her struggle with breast cancer. Spence uses photography as a means of self-representation and self-exploration, engaging in a performative act of reclaiming her identity in the face of illness and societal expectations. This essay will examine how Goldberg and Spence each explore autobiography in their work, considering the ways in which they both navigate the personal and the political, and how their approaches contribute to a broader conversation about the role of the self in art.

My area of study is into identity, mainly focusing on how you can present yourself differently to everyone and looking into the anxieties of a teenage girl, especially in my life.

I will be analysing Jim Goldberg and Jo spence in this essay, I am looking into them as they also do a lot on identity. Jim Goldberg mainly as a child, and jo spence into womanhood, I also like their creative aspects to their photography that I hope to also use. I will be responding to their work by making some similar photos which I will later use as a comparison, i will the respond to this essay question by first giving my introduction on them both, then having a paragraph each to how autobiography is especially explored in both their work, then maybe having paragraphs on similarities and differences and finish with a conclusion.

Essay Paragraph 1 (draft)

Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 

The primary theme jotted down in a life writing is to give life and include autobiographical statements on photography works done by Jim Goldberg and Jo Spence and the general drift in photography and visual culture towards the personal narrative and subjective experience. During the 1970s and 1980s, the artists’ practices were largely identified with the postmodernists, who were always critiquing the aspect of objectivity and universal truth within the realm of art. Photographs as self testaments through Rich and Poor (Goldberg 1985) or through The Picture of Health? (Spence 1982-86) reveal photography as a medium to discuss identity, class, and the politics of representation. “I was politicized by my own experiences. I use photography as a means of exposing and dealing with the hidden politics of everyday life, including my own.” – Jo Spence. While both referring to the traditions of documentary photography and conceptual art, they interrogate the power relations in image-making, reminiscent of what theorists wrote about photography claiming neutrality and truth. This is because by integrating a handwritten text with the portrait, Goldberg found an interpretative space within which to situate both image and subject, while including genealogies of feminist critique and psychoanalysis in an autobiographical view, drawing a portrait of many critical experiences in the lives of these authors. “My work is a collaboration with the people I photograph. Their words, their voices, are as important as the image itself.” – Jim Goldberg. In other words, both artists, through their personal experiences, render the self an object of contestation, critique, and ultimately, alternative approaches to autobiographical writing in visual culture challenge the traditional narratives surrounding it. This personal-contextualization is what then situates their work in the line of a socially engaged art: in history, using methodologies adopted by historians and critics that value context and ideology over form.

Photoshoot 1:

Photoshoot 2:

Just to add to this photoshoot I got inspiration of something to experiment with photos I took in my first experimental self portrait photoshoot.

This was my first attempt, well actually my 20th, as i was trying with ai and it wasn’t really doing what i wanted, this is my best one and for my first practise, i like it but its not perfect, im going to try again using ai and actual paint.

Photoshoot 1:

I took 334 photos in this photoshoot, as a trial, I wanted to try some self portraits, as I am into portraits and a lot of my personal study will revolve around, self portraits. Some images were blurry but it was only a trial to also give myself some inspo.

I selected only 25 photos, but I’m not certain I will use any, for my actual piece but I might use some as an experiment of editing to see if it will work for other photos.

Photoshoot 2:

In my second photoshoot I took 81 photos. these where again in the studio and these photos where the ones with drawing on my face showing different parts.

I limited it down to 58 photos which I will continue to cut down as I edit and decide which ones I want to keep and not.

Photoshoot 3:

I did a third photoshoot at home, which was experimental on what I actually wanted to do, I planned on having a juxtaposition of self portraits and splatter painting, when trying to do these splatter painting it didn’t turn out how I wanted so I attempted a different way.

Photoshoot 4:

In my fourth photoshoot, I took 411 photos at the bowling alley, a part and in my room.

I was then left with 81 photos that I selected that I plan to edit.

Where?

• The studio
• My room
• My house
• Places that mean something to me
• Places around jersey that I think have a relation to anxiety
• In school
• Photos that will demonstrate working hard

Who?

• My family
• My friends
• Me
• My teachers
• Landscapes

When?

• Weekends
• After school
• During school
• Whenever possible

What will I use?

• Celetape
• Mask
• Lights
• Projector
• Pen
• clock
• mirror
• paper
• desk
• hourglass

Why?

I will be honest, I struggles trying to find an idea for this topic, at first I was so excited because it would be fully my idea and I could be so creative and do what I wanted. Then I couldn’t think of idea, I got into a slump. I finally figured an idea on personality, as I realised I was always perceived differently by everyone, and no one really knew the true me, and thought that’s the same for everyone, case you can be whoever you want to be to anyone, and as long as your making them happy they probably wont questions it. I started to take photos of myself I wanted o use, spoke t some friends about my idea and they said it was great. then I spoke to my teachers, and I never felt like I was getting a great sense of love for my idea, always thought that’s a bit unfair, seeming’s as art is subjective, but I know they want to help, so I kept thinking, used them to help me but was still in a slump. Then I realised you know it can still be about identity but maybe only my anxiety, as I seem that’s pretty bad and its something that can go unseen from people but also something a lot of people can relate to. its also something that is darker and for some reason people love a darker deeper book. Took more photos. a lot of photos but just of things I found photogenic, maybe I could relate to my topic but not sure. then as I was upset because I wasn’t doing the best I could do in this topic I started thinking oh damn I know something personal about me relating to anxiety and all of this, and that’s me working so hard and sometimes it not being noticed or it getting hard and sometimes I need a hand or someone to notice its not because I’m lazy its because I’m struggling. so now after a million different thoughts on this topic I still have a million but I know to just take photos and try stuff and something will workout. so that Is how and why my photoshoot plans became a thing. I’m still trying buttt we will make it work because I believe I can.

Statement of intent –

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

Personal:

Within my work, I aim to explore the concept of identity through photography. Due to my deep interest in this subject, I believe I can create personal and expressive representations of self-portraits that capture my sense of self, as well as the way others perceive me differently. I find that no one truly knows me because I present a different version of myself depending on the people I am with. This is something that everyone experiences, as we all shift and adapt our personalities in various contexts. For me, identity in photography offers an insight into the photographer’s deeper understanding of themselves. Photography allows for multiple ways to explore identity visually, creating lasting images that resonate in a viewer’s mind. A photograph captures a more direct and immediate sense of who people are compared to written words or books. From my own personal experiences, I feel that developing my portrait skills, along with my interest in identity, provides an opportunity to delve into the truth of who we are. Whether through a self-portrait or a colorful image that reflects personality, my goal is to visually convey the essence of human identity. Through this creative photographic process, I hope to educate others about how everyone is unique yet shares similar experiences. I aim to highlight the significance of these differences and commonalities, using photography to foster understanding, connection, and awareness. My work seeks to create a space where individuals can express themselves, relate to others, and find meaning in their own experiences.

I wish to develop my project by exploring visualizations of identity, incorporating elements like tableaux, but through the medium of documentary photography. However, in my work, I will stage these images to replicate the effect of a tableau, with the goal of creating an immersive atmosphere that encourages viewers to reflect on the multiple identities they embody. By staging these photographs in a controlled environment, I aim to capture the complexity of identity, inviting viewers to connect with the idea that, like myself, we all navigate different roles and personas depending on our surroundings and relationships.

Photographing myself, I believe, will better replicate the relatability of these experiences. The process of self-portraiture will allow me to convey the nuanced way in which we shape our identities in different contexts. Using both studio lighting and outdoor settings, I plan to photograph myself in a variety of situations—with friends, family, strangers, and also alone. The use of these different environments will help illustrate the contrasts between how we present ourselves in private and public spheres. By incorporating a tripod, I can take control of the framing and composition, enabling me to directly engage with the process and capture the intimate aspects of identity from various perspectives.

In combining these settings and interactions, my intention is to create a series of images that visually explore how identity is not fixed but is fluid and influenced by the people around us and the environments we inhabit. Through these photographs, I hope to evoke a sense of personal reflection in my audience, encouraging them to consider the many identities they embody throughout their lives.

Project:

Due to my strong interest in the concept of identity, I feel that exploring this theme through a personal, documentary approach will make for an engaging and insightful project. I aim to create a series of visual representations that delve into the complexities of identity, focusing on how people express different facets of themselves depending on context, relationships, and personal experiences. Drawing inspiration from my own experiences and observations, I will base my work on the idea that identity is fluid and constantly evolving.

With access to various subjects—friends, family, strangers, and personal encounters—I plan to explore identity from multiple angles, capturing different personalities, moods, and interactions. I believe that photographing people in different settings and with varying degrees of intimacy will help highlight the diverse roles we play in our daily lives. Using a mix of staged and candid imagery, I will aim to depict the complexity of identity through visual storytelling, showing how people project different versions of themselves based on the environment and relationships they are part of.

My work will also draw upon written accounts and personal stories from the individuals I photograph, incorporating their own reflections on identity and self-perception. I will use a combination of studio lighting and natural settings, such as outdoor locations or familiar environments, to further emphasize the contrast between the private and public aspects of identity. Through this approach, I hope to create a deeper understanding of how identity is shaped by our surroundings and interactions, offering a more personal and immersive experience for viewers.

This project serves not only as a reflection on my own understanding of identity but also as an exploration of how others navigate the complex and ever-changing nature of who they are. By documenting these different perspectives, I aim to share a multifaceted view of identity that resonates with anyone who has ever questioned or reflected upon their own sense of self. Ultimately, I hope this project fosters a greater awareness of the importance of self-expression and how our identities are shaped by the diverse roles we take on in life.

Artist Case Study 1:

Jim Goldberg

Jim Goldberg is an influential American photographer and visual storyteller best known for his intimate and socially conscious work that explores the lives of marginalized individuals. His most renowned project is Raised by Wolves (1985), which captures the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco during the 1980s. This project, which blends documentary photography with personal narratives, provides a raw and empathetic look at the struggles of these youth as they navigate survival, identity, and hardship.

Jim Goldberg was born in 1953 in New York City. He grew up in a family that fostered his creative interests, particularly in the realm of visual art. Goldberg attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where he began developing his photographic style. His education there helped shape his approach to photography as a tool for social commentary and personal storytelling.

The Raised by Wolves project, which Goldberg began in the early 1980s, is perhaps his most defining work. The title refers to the metaphorical idea of teenagers being abandoned or left to fend for themselves, with little or no support from family or society. Goldberg documented the lives of homeless teenagers living in the streets of San Francisco, focusing on their struggles and resilience.

What makes Raised by Wolves unique is Goldberg’s method of combining his photographs with the teenagers’ handwritten notes, journal entries, and letters. This combination of imagery and text gives a voice to the often overlooked and voiceless subjects in his work. It also allows the viewer to connect with the teenagers on a deeper level, revealing their personal experiences, dreams, fears, and moments of vulnerability.

The project provides a window into the social issues surrounding youth homelessness, but it also humanizes these teenagers in ways that challenge stereotypical portrayals. The images show them in a range of contexts: from moments of hardship to moments of defiance and joy. The handwritten text in the margins of the photographs often reads like personal diaries, bringing an emotional depth to the narrative.

Goldberg’s work is characterized by its unflinching realism and sensitivity. He often spends extended periods with his subjects, allowing him to develop trust and access to more intimate moments. His ability to capture the humanity of his subjects, particularly those living on the margins of society, is central to his approach. The combination of photography and text creates a dialogue between the image and the narrative, emphasizing the power of storytelling.

While Raised by Wolves is Goldberg’s most famous project, his body of work spans many years and addresses various social issues, including poverty, identity, and the human condition. Throughout his career, Goldberg has used his photography to challenge the viewer’s understanding of these issues and to highlight the resilience of individuals who are often ignored or stigmatized.

Artist Case Study 2:

Jo spence

Jo Spence (1934–1992) was a pioneering British photographer and activist, renowned for her deeply personal and socially engaged photographic work. Throughout her career, Spence used photography as a tool for self-exploration, political critique, and social change, tackling issues related to class, health, gender, and identity. Her work is known for its raw, unflinching portrayal of the human condition, particularly focusing on the realities of working-class life, illness, and the body’s transformation.

Jo Spence was born on June 6, 1934, in London, England, and grew up in a working-class family. After leaving school at the age of 15, she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a secretary and in the civil service. Her early life experiences in the working-class community shaped much of her later work, particularly her interest in class-based inequalities and the way they intersected with broader social issues.

In her early career, Spence worked primarily as a commercial photographer. She was a freelance photographer for several years and gained success for her work in the fashion and portraiture genres. However, she grew disillusioned with the commercial side of photography and began to focus on personal, experimental projects that questioned the nature of photographic representation.

Jo Spence’s photographic practice was deeply tied to her personal and political beliefs. Several key themes run through her work:

1. Class and Identity: Spence’s working-class background heavily influenced her work, and much of her photography addresses issues of class, social inequality, and identity. She used her own experiences to highlight the ways in which working-class individuals are often marginalized or erased in mainstream narratives.
2. Feminism and the Body: As a feminist, Spence critiqued traditional representations of women in the media and sought to reclaim control over the representation of her own body. In projects like The Picture of Health and her later series The Body Work (1987), Spence explored the intersections of gender, health, and the medical gaze, using photography to confront the societal expectations placed on women’s bodies.
3. Autobiography and Self-Representation: Spence’s work is also highly autobiographical. She used her own body and experiences as the subject of much of her work, allowing her to explore issues of identity, health, and personal transformation. Her photography often served as a means of empowerment and resistance to the societal forces that sought to control or define her.
4. Collaborative Approach: Spence was also committed to collaborative photography. She worked with others, including marginalized communities, to create photographs that were informed by the subjects’ perspectives rather than being imposed by the photographer’s gaze. She believed that photography could be a participatory, communal experience rather than one that objectified the subject.

Artist Study 3:

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born on January 19, 1954, in Glens Falls, New York, United States. She was raised in a middle-class family and developed an early interest in art. Sherman attended Buffalo State College in Buffalo, New York, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976. It was during her time at college that she began to explore photography as a medium and began to shift her artistic focus towards conceptual photography. She was influenced by the work of photographers like Diane Arbus, whose focus on identity and unconventional portraiture was a precursor to Sherman’s own exploration of self and representation.

Sherman’s artistic breakthrough came in the late 1970s when she began creating a series of self-portraits in which she dressed up and assumed various roles, frequently using costumes, makeup, and props to create different characters. Unlike traditional portrait photography, where subjects are captured as they are, Sherman’s work questioned and deconstructed the concept of identity, with the artist becoming both the creator and the subject of her work.

In 1977, Sherman moved to New York City, where she started her career by working for magazines such as New York Magazine. She also began making experimental photography, blending traditional portraiture with art-making. Her early work is often considered a reaction against the glamorized, idealized images of women commonly portrayed in popular culture and advertising.

Cindy Sherman’s work has had a profound influence on contemporary photography and visual culture. Her focus on self-representation and the performance of identity has been pivotal in discussions of gender, identity politics, and the role of women in art. By challenging the viewer’s expectations of the female form and the role of the artist, Sherman has redefined the boundaries of portraiture.

Artist study 4:

Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson was born on August 28, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. She grew up in a working-class family, and her early experiences in New York City influenced her later artistic career. Simpson developed an interest in art at an early age and went on to study at The School of Visual Arts in New York City. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1983.

Afterward, Simpson attended the University of California, San Diego, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985. It was during her time in San Diego that Simpson began to develop her distinctive visual style, which combined photography with text, and began exploring issues of identity and race in her work.

Simpson’s work spans various mediums, including photography, video, and installations. However, she is perhaps best known for her photography and multimedia works that frequently incorporate text, which plays a significant role in shaping the meaning of her images.

In the “Wigs” series, Simpson photographed women wearing various types of wigs, each wig becoming a visual metaphor for the different ways in which Black women negotiate their identities in a society that often marginalizes them. The wigs become symbols of societal pressures to conform to specific standards of beauty and appearance, while also questioning the idea of identity as something fluid and constructed.

• Cindy Sherman
• Lorna Simpson
• Jim Goldberg
• Jo Spence

Our first visit was Jersey Art centre to see Marc Medland.

We next moved to the CCA Gallery to see Glenn Perotte

Glen Perotte has been photographing Jersey for a decade, mixing commercial work with his creative photographic projects. His ‘2020:A Year in Vision’ portrait exhibition saw him capture us islanders and his 2021 ‘Remnants of Life’ saw him turn his hand to hyper-detailed still life of dream-like plants. Building on that foundation, Glen got in shape both physically and mentally to take his work to a new level this year. His subject this time couldn’t be captured in Jersey, but only at the heady heights of Mount Kenya, where Glen had been captivated by the flora and fauna on a previous visit tow years before. The landscape is hauntingly beautiful.

Glen tells us “I wanted to explore the flora of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain after Kilimanjaro and a uniquely special place. More than a visually striking landmark, Mount Kenya is steeped in spiritual significance, revered as a sacred site by East African communities and beyond. The mountain is seen as a divine presence, drawing people for prayer, meditation, and reflection”. The focus for him was the astonishing plant life that manages to take root in this volcanic and harsh landscape of thin air and rocky terrain, sometimes by banding together and at other times finding a small niche to settle in alone. “Strange, yet wonderfully captivating, these botanical wonders exhibit adaptations honed over millennia to survive the harsh mountain environment. From bizarrely shaped succulents clinging to rocky crevices to peculiar, other-worldly ferns thriving in mist-shrouded valleys, each species tells a tale of resilience and ingenuity”. 

Then we went to ArtHouse Jersey.