Assignment 4: Snap Judgments

New Concepts in African Photography.

The Snap Judgments exhibition at the Brooks Museums showed a lot of promise. The typical African artwork that comes through the Tennessee museum circuit is what most people expect: tribal war masks, wooden figurines, animal teeth necklaces, and yards and yards of brightly colored traditional African print. Yet, Snap Judgments was a breath of fresh air (albeit, teasing) for the general public. The introduction to the show promised photography devoid of the nation's "stereotypes" (poverty, famine, disease), yet the artwork present seemed to be devoid of anything definitively African. Several of the pieces seemed to emulate Western techniques and style, failing to add a national touch--it was as if a Western photographer simply shot in Africa. The real crime was not the similarities in techniques but the failure to produce such techniques through an African lens.
One piece displayed several fashion photographs accompanied by modern music videos of African artists. The style was Western, the clothes were Western, even some of the subjects were Western--and all of this was pinned straight to the wall on a crimson backdrop. The arrangement was busy and difficult to look at (especially if you're not over 5',7") and the music was distracting and equally disengaging.
Other highlights included deteriorating buildings, shells of ruins, forgotten chandeliers, and desolate looking cityscapes. The photos were beautiful but were simply lacking in attachment or a story that demands more. A particular piece of interest showed scenes from an African prison, from holding cells to inhabited tanks to the duties of a prison butcher. Long peripheral shots full of vibrant color and several subjects had enough to keep one interested,and seemed to have a more political overtone, and even initiated the grotesque--good decisions to draw in and keep a viewer. Had the message of the pieces been a bit more definitive, it could have proven to be one of the best in show.
The lack of abstract work also caused a series of let-downs in yours truly. While photography is flatly known as a representative medium, the beauty present when creating the abstract is solid and sharp. The only abstract piece present showed marks left from a soccerball on a whitewashed wall. The marks were subtle but present, it showed excellent cropping (no information of environment) and was one of my favorite pieces of the show. Sadly, there were few more like it.
Overall, while I found the show to be progressive, a few steps were missing and fulfilling the promise made at the exhibition's entrance. The disasters were not shown, some were merely toned down to the point of disinterest, yet Africa was not shown either. It was an exhibition lacking life or identity, giving me a judgment of neutrality that won't leave any taste of my mouth, be it good or bad.