Artist Blog

Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography.

It is difficult to me to find first words to introduce photographers, as its prism is quite diffuse. In front of an obvious multitude of approaches and appreciations quite so subjective the some that the others, I shall concentrate my words on artists among who question the photographic medium beyond its surface, sometimes beyond the things represented in the image. Artists who are also interested in the process by which an image appears as well as protocols of their implementation. I shall speak in these cases of intentionality, gestures, and experiments. I am eager to show for one part the work of artists for whom  photography is a process which returns in echo with other mediums, sometimes as documents, some other times as a demolition of the medium it self. Very soaked with the conceptual works of the 60-70's I shall begin my interventions here with the works of the artists: Gina Pane, Hamish Fulton and JAN DIBBETS. Three approaches chosen by the photography which were my search engines as much as inspirants elements. Three approaches thus, which I shall introduce by that of the Gina Pane in association with the photographer Françoise Masson. Here the use of the photography is to be purely descriptive. This informative is due to the fact that at the beginning of the performing arts, performance was slightly relayed outside of a few specialized as the October magazine (Annette Michelson and Rosalind Krauss). These magazines are ideal places to disseminate information to those who did not see, but could come see the next performance, photographs presented were therefore to limit advertising, the idea being to demonstrate the intensity event represented for insiter readers to attend the next live performance. So in communicating Gina Pane played for the photographic frame these performances. Pure photography performative actions are thoughts for the photographic frame. In a different way, Hamish Fulton's products are also traces of a performance, long walks. Unlike Gina Pane, Hamish Fulton does not show walking, this work evokes the experience of a walk in Bolivia that Hamish Fulton shared with Richard Long in 1972. The photographs denote time and movement. The right-hand and center were photographs taken at the same point one Illampu mountain. The shadow line is made ​​up of reeds taken from Lake Titicaca, and pelican feathers. They were there left in the title snow. The refers to the bird circled overhead that falling on the journey. Fulton works has said about: "What I build is an experience, not a sculpture." This fold between photography and sculpture interest me much, I'll come back to it later. It is anyway in my opinion matter to experience a work in the work. I perceive between the idea of ​​photography in photography, images in the image. I finish the first notes here by the work of Jan Dibbets pushing further this informative shift to the transformation by the "perspective correction". Again here the photographs are purely performative as it exists only for and by the photographic frame and its specific point of view. Jan Dibbets no longer seeks to document an action, the action is photography itself. This reversal raises great prospects for the use of the device, as well as our perception of the photographic image. I see this as a suberbe positioning recalling doubts and manipulations that the images carries with it, but also posing photography as the act itself, it allows me to imagine that the actions that lead to a photograph can be reinvested after the photograph: why homothetic format? Why paper planes? Why put the photographs on the wall? etc. By moving the eye away from an immediate reading, as I think too often the case file.