Art: Identity Photo Exhibition

Name of Exhibit:	Al Serkal Avenue
Name of Gallery:	Identity
Contents of Exhibit (in your own words):	Portraits of people from around the world by Emmanuel Catteau
Artist(s) Showcased:	Portraits
Date of visit:	May 29, 2013

 

 

1.

Overall impression of the photographs

The idea of displaying only portraits of people from various countries around the world in one gallery was beyond impressive. This was one of my most favorite gallery visits. The faces of people being displayed makes you look deeply into the faces of those people and look at the differences between people from India, Canada, Dubai, Cuba and Anzania. The whole experience was extremely unique.     To look at a picture of a person that you don’t know where he\she is from, which country does he\she belong to, a person who is from a country you might never visited and immediately try and figure out where this person from by exploring his\her the facial structure, color and clothing is spectacular and it defiantly grabbed my attention and interest.     Not only the idea but the way each portrait is unique by its beauty and quality is magical. The photographer showed every photograph with minimal background colors and objects so that viewers will focus on the subject of the photo in this case the person being photo’d more than the background. The subjects were showcased with huge detail and with astonishing photograph techniques.

 

2.

Description of the aesthetic nature of the photographs in the exhibition

The nature of the photos displayed was very unique and inspiring. Each portrait had its exclusive sense of beauty. Aesthetics, in the world of art and photography, refers to the principles of the nature and appreciation of beauty. Judging beauty and other aesthetic qualities of photographs is a highly subjective task. Hence, there is no unanimously agreed standard for measuring aesthetic value.     However, the aesthetic nature of photographs exhibited in the Identity gallery was all about focus, color and subject.  The focus on details in each of the photos was very fascinating. As you can see the tiniest details of each portrait. A photo of an Indian worker showed the wrinkles and the redness in his eyes.     For some, such a detail can be discarded but for others like me this detail was extremely significant as it showed the feelings of sadness and sorrow although the man was smiling to the camera.     The subject and the colors of the photos were direct. All the focus was on the person being portrayed and the colors of the background were minimal. The subject and colors of each photo attempted arouse the emotions in people by focusing on the subject of the photos with minimal background objects and colors.     In short, the portraits were defiantly a huge success. The photographer took every aspect of an excellent photo into consideration. The colors, the focus, the details, the subject and the idea. And most importantly, the images were meaningful and reflected the image of a culture and a tradition.       3. What affected/moved me the most about the photographs   Personally, the photos were very beautiful in the sense that they kind of spoken to me. The details and the focus of the photos were very accurate that I see the joy, the sadness, the carelessness of the people portrayed. The photos were not portraits of people from one country, region or continent. They were from various countries around the world and from different continents. This variety and mixture have grabbed my attention as I looked at the difference between the facial structure, the status and the emotions hidden in every portrait.     My most favorite picture was of an old man from Cuba smoking a cigarette at the first glance you will think he is enjoying the photo-shoot. But when you stare into the redness of his eyes and the details of his face you will defiantly find an old man full of sorrows. And this is what moved me a lot, the ability of the photographer to deliver you not only a picture but a feeling associated with unrevealed story.

4.

THREE things I learned about photography through this exhibition

1.     People are a reflection of a culture, emotions and beauty. Therefore, Humans are considered an important element when taking pictures. Moreover, portraits speak a thousand words, as the eyes, the smile, and the skin says a lot about a human culture, emotional status and perhaps class level than any other type of photographs.     2.      Delivering a meaningful story through portraits to the viewers is a very hard thing. Almost impossible to achieve but with the right moment and the right technique you will most defiantly deliver a story to the audience and maybe touch their souls if the photo was taken spontaneously.     3.      The subject, the idea, the focus and the colors of the photo plays a huge role in allowing the viewer’s associate with the photos and understand the emotions attached in each portrait. If all the aspects are taken into consideration the photos will deliver a meaningful statement to the viewer from the first glance.

 

5.	Images from the Exhibition