Never see a lot of conceptual based photographers posted here so starting a thread of my favorite photographers who are creating and curating images for reasons other that go beyond photography itself.
First up is CHRIS MAGGIO
CHRIS MAGGIO 2/3
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CHRIS MAGGIO 3/3
ALEC SOTH 1/3
ALEC SOTH 2/3
ALEC SOTH 3/3
EVIDENCE: Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel 1/2
They created this book by selecting images from various photo archives of law enforcement agencies. In the end only selecting 50 images they found most interesting.
I wonder if /p/ thinks this enough to create your own photobook. Can something become yours through appropriation?
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EVIDENCE: Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel 2/2
>>2864385
It's certainly visual art and curation, but the act of curation is not photography itself. It's curation of a vernacular and tangentially related collection.
you're free to make a book of whatever you want to make a book of. It is a photobook. The author just isn't a photographer, at least not in the works.
It's baffling that people manage to stir any additional dialogue out of it than that.
>>2864390
Do they become their images if they printed, edited, and curated them? I think since the original photographer had no intention of creating a visually appealing photograph that Sultan and Mandel are more of the photographer because the take that raw negative and transform it into something else.
>>2864400
no, that makes them the printer, editor, or a curator
It disturbs me deeply that modern art parlance looks to blur those very literal semantic distinctions. It's okay to be a photographer, printer, and curator. It's disgenuine to call your curatory printing projects part of your own photography.
It's not meta to have an involved conversation on the topic. Find something to say that doesn't involve waffling over academic triviality. The world does not need more self-referential art dialogue.
>>2864407
yeah, but the value of the artistic work is not the photos themselves but their editing and sequencing. the artist might not be a photographer, but he's definitely working inside the field of photography, working with photography as a concept
>>2864410
>yeah, but the value of the artistic work is not the photos themselves
When I pick up a photo book, I value the photos. Always. Perfect editing and curation lets me see the photos I want to see without hassle or issue. Poor curation and editing annoys me and takes me out of the book.
Maybe it's just an effect of the "my Tumblr is all reposts but I'm still contributing" mindset, but editing/curation will always be a secondary art form.
>>2864407
I don't agree with you last statement, I think it's important to always be talking about art in relation to itself. Its constantly changing, it needs new definitions.
Sorry to disturb you deeply tho.
Anyway, up next is CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD.
A great documentary project about a young couple that committed a series of murders. The project follows the 3-day journey of the killers 50 years later. In the end the work is more about Patterson's own experience of retracing the steps more than it is about the actual murders. 1/?
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>>2864410
>inside the field of photography
That's no field I've ever seen.
It's visual art. They're photographs. The photographer is in another castle, still. It's not a heady concept.
And neither is "working with photography as a concept."
is Instructables.com photography? Photographs are conceptually integral to many things that aren't photographers practicing photography.
You can be a photobook author without being a photographer. People have been doing it for decades. If you wanna discuss identity politics with photography, find something a little less masturbatory than trying to redefine curated photos as your own photography because it's the strongest thing your body of work holds.
It's okay to be a renaissance person and pursue multiple interests. No one wants to hear you talk about how repairing your refrigerator is basically like being a cardiologist because, like, there's circulation, dude.
CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD
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CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD
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CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD
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keep up OP. these are great. skillful narrative ability is what separates the common chump from the big guns. anyone can make "good pics".
CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD
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>>2864425
right, taking a good photograph isn't really important anymore, unless you're doing commercial work. Actually, photography as art hasn't been about "good" photographs since the 60's, arguably even before that.
CHRISTIAN PATERSON: REDHEADED PECKERWOOD(last)
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>>2864416
>I don't agree with you last statement, I think it's important to always be talking about art in relation to itself. Its constantly changing, it needs new definitions.
Contradicted yourself a bit there tho
This conversation is literally the product of bad art academics, proliferated by a system that churns out more art educators than working artists.
What we need is not more self-referential masturbation is a continously shrinking field taught by a continously growing one. It's also objectively not where art is heading. We're leaving that station for the aesthetic vernacular. The democratization of the arts is not on your side.
>>2864428
Where would you like/think art is moving? Art about art doesn't ever go away though, it just looks different. Even if it's not the main focus of the work it always plays a roll. Democratization of the arts is on everyone's side.
COLLIER SCHORR
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COLLIER SCHORR 2/3
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COLLIER SCHORR 3/3
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>>2864431
It's the era of the digital cave painting, senpai.
You have to accept that most viewers of any piece are not going to know or care about any convoluted narrative. You're free to use that to your advantage if you want.
There's a great difference between larger art-referencing-art dynamics, which is just how we work as a species, and the microcosm of academic art masturbation, wherein people outside of *a particular classroom context* might not even understand what you're trying to say. Yale's a pretty standard display of the state of art academics.
Aesthetic matters more than ever, for better or worse.
>>2864436
Okay now I understand what you're saying. Schools are creating a circle jerk of students that can't communicate to larger audiences in any meaningful way. Instead creating work that only their peers will understand which creates in them a sense of superiority because they can speak the language.
DINA KELBERMAN: I'M GOOGLE
since curation is being discussed heres a project about curating Google image posts by Dina Kellerman, the project should really be scrolled through so heres the link: http://dinakelberman.tumblr.com
1/4
DINA KELLERMANN: IM GOOGLE 2/4
>>2864444
The title of that set really drives home how little of this is a vital artistic process, frankly.
One could easily assemble sets like this with complete automation using image recognition and image searches.
>>2864448
Correct!
>>2864448
but that wouldn't have any input from the artist. That would be an interesting response to this work. If you have time I'd like to see what you come up with using your process.
I think this project is smart because its repurposing a technology to discuss larger concepts of art. You move through the images based on their formal elements and the relationships that form are genuinely interesting, at least funny. I think the general population can appreciate it as well so no masturbation here.
Okay, I'm gonna go back to traditional photographers now.
ROGER BALLEN 1/4
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ROGER BALLEN 2/4
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>>2864439
>Instead creating work that only their peers will understand
eh, this has been happening since ancient times
what's recent is creating art that only you and people you have explicity explained it to understand. its gone beyond using the academic visual language, its making up your own language which no one else can understand. conceptualism without context is meaningless art
ROGER BALLEN 3/4
Ballen's work is controversial because he's using these people basically as props. Although they consent and seem happy to see him, he does not return any of the money from the photos back to his subjects, who live in poverty and unsafe conditions.
>>2864464
I don't think a non understandable language is meaningless. No one can create anything that isn't tied to something else so there will always be meaning in a work. Artists intention doesn't seem very important in the end since the viewer will have a totally different experience, even if the work is explained.
>>2864468
I consider it meaningless because art is, at its core a form of communication. whether it be conceptual (communication of ideas), emotional, aesthetic, symbolic, etc
I'm not saying you can't have any of these responses to art without intent, I'm just saying at that point it starts to leave the definition of art... you can have an emotional response to literally anything
>>2864472
I take back my previous comment about needing definitions, NO RULES, JUST DO IT
is porn art?
>>2864474
what is porn?
cool thread up.
Okay im back. Im gonna focus the photographers on interesting storytellers/documentary photographers.
DOUG DUBOIS
1/5
DOUG DUBOIS 2/5
This series focused on his family. I think he spent 20 years photographing them for the project(I could be wrong about that). I don't think this is that concept driven, but the photos are some of my favorite for creating a mood. And all of them seem candid which means these could have been snapshits if he wasn't as skilled.
DOUG SUBOIS 3/5
DOUG DUBOIS 4/5
IAN JOVANOVICH 1/4
A series about dealing with his father's alzheimers.
IAN JOVANOVICH
IAN JOVANOVICH 3/4