During FotoWeekDC 2010, I went to Gallery 31 at the Corcoran museum. This famous DC art museum was dubbed “FotoWeekCentral” since it hosted a variety of FotoWeekDC activities, launch parties, exhibitions, lectures, expert portfolio reviews and more throughout the week. When I got the museum and asked the security officer where the FotoWeek exhibit was and she pointed to a small room with double glass doors to the right of her. The exhibit was called “Faculty Choice: New Work by Recent Corcoran Photography and Photojournalism Graduates.” This exhibit was comprised of the work of recent graduates from the Corcoran College of Art and Design. The exhibits participants were chosen by the Photography Department faculty, and reflects the diversity and talent of the Corcoran graduates.
In this exhibit I was most impressed by a piece by Antonio McAfee titled Offering & Source of Femininity, created in 2009.
I was drawn to this work because it incorporates both photography and installation art, which made it unique to all of the other works in this exhibit. This photo is of a man or woman bending down, holding a handful of paint that is dripping out of their hands and “into” the pale of paint in front of the photo. The pale of paint it set on top of metal scraps with dried paint dripping out of the can and onto the metal. It is difficult to tell what time of day this photograph was taken because it was likely taken in a studio where the photographer could manipulate the lighting to achieve the exact effects they wanted.
The point of orientation of this photograph is on the hands as they are painted white and set in a darker/brown background. The artist uses the color white to emphasize the hands of the subject and to unite the photograph with the pale of pain that is also painted white. Lighting plays an interesting role in this work as it makes the legs of the subject almost look like a shadow as opposed to their actual legs. The photographer was able to capture a lot of texture in this photograph as well. The wrinkles in hands capture the texture of the human body: soft yet firm. The paint dripping out of the hands of the subject portrays a liquidly texture, while the paint can and surrounding material it sits on offers a metal, tin, solid texture. Although it is hard to see in the photograph I took of this work, there is a white line of paint that drips from the hands of the subject to the bottom of the photograph, giving the impression that the paint is dripping from the hands into the paint can. This line of paint serves an important purposes as it unites the photograph with the physical paint can in front of it. In addition, this line helps direct the viewer’s eyes through the work from the hands down to the paint can and back up to the hands again.
I believe the photographer is making a statement about the importance of giving back. The hand of the subject are positioned in a way that represents offering, and the paint is dripping out of the hands which represents giving. Perhaps this is a metaphor for those those who “have” must give back to those “in need.” This message relates to my life because I have always tried to give back to those less fortunate than myself through volunteering at food banks, planing philanthropic events to benefit various organizations, and making monetary contributions. The photographer created this piece in the wake of the economic crisis in our nation, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I believe the artist created this piece as a reminder to give back what and when you can to those who are less fortunate than yourself.
This piece communicates an important and valuable social message that many people could benefit from if they take the time to understand the statement the artist is making. This piece is also valuable in the sense that it combines both photography and instillation art to create a unique masterpiece. Over all I commend this photographer and artist for stepping outside of the box and adding their own twist to photography, while also communicating an important social message.
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