Annotative Bibliographies 9, 10, 11

Hate Crime Survivor I, Zanele Muholi

Observation:

This photograph in an up-close shot of a female from her waist to just above her knees. She is wearing pajama pants and seems to have hospita bracelets on. Her hands are rested infront of her and the photograph draws the viewers' attention to the groin area of the subject. 

Inference:

In the article, "Passing the Politics of Queer Loss Post-Apartheid" this particular photograph is featured. The author gives a very detailed inference of her own as to the meaning of this photograph. The subject of the photograph is positioned in such a way that the photograph reads as though this supposed hospital patient is, in fact, a prison inmate to her own thoughts. I found the explanation of the author to be very interesting. Muholi had a very strong interest in the idea of "corrective" or "curative" rape. This was the sick notion held by people in South Africa at the time that suggested that if lesbians in the country were to be raped by men then they could be "cured" of their supposed "afflictions." I think that the juxtaposition of the female subject in a hospital gown is an ingenious decision for the message that is being presented. The idea of lesbianism being something that is "curable," as if to call it an illness, makes her subject's attire even more complex and interesting. Her clothes depict an idea of insanity or disease while her positioning in the photograph tells a story of great loss and mental pain. The idea of the hospital bracelets looking like a pair of handcuffs, and her hands being positioned as if being used to protect herself shows a devastating sense of imprisonment. The article states, "lesbians who are raped are often not believed and are treated as criminals both inside and outside of the justice system." (46) I believe that in this photograph, Muholi takes the idea of "curative rape" and gives the audience a sense of how these women feel; imprisoned, unclean, afflicted. They were prisoners to their own minds and unable to show their true selves.

Diary of Victorian Dandy 11 Hours, Yinka Shonibare

Observation:

In this photograph, I see a group of people gathered in a bedroom. Most of the people are white, with the exception of one black man, who also appears to be the dominant subject of the photo. It seems as though he is being waited on by the white people around him. The lighting is bright and the decor in the room is minimal. 

Inference:

Based on the research and reading that I did on Yinka Shonibare, he lived in Nigeria as an artist for a portion of his life. When he decided that he wanted to move to Europe to pursue his dreams as an artist, for the first time he was placed in the category of "other." Shonibare invested a lot of his thoughts and ideas on the fact that, because he was an African man, he was expected to create "authentic" African art. In the interview article entitled, "Yinka Shonibare on hedonism, masquerade, carnivalesque. and power," when talking about his struggle with the idea of "loyalty" and "allegiance" to his culture by way of "authenticity," Shonibare stated, "So I decided, OK, my way of dealing with this will be to create confusion, I will locate myself in the area of confusion because confusion is actually more honest on my part, it is a closer expression of where I am." (Enwezor 167) I believe that this photo represents the idea of "confusion." To depict a black man in a position of power being waited on by a staff of whites is definitely a risk and is something that draws the viewer in. I believe that by creating this photograph (within a series of photographs called the Diary of a Victorian Dandy) Shonibare is created a confusion that takes racial stereotypes and flips them in favor of the black race.

Observation:

This photograph depicts a woman's face. She has a white veil and most of her face is covered. The entire composition of the photograph is covered with Arabic writing. The writing continues on the woman's face. It appears that the woman has Arabic lettering tattooed on her face. Her eyes, as the only part of the woman's face that are visible, have heavy, dark makeup on them.

Inference:

Lalla Essaydi was a woman who truly appreciated and enjoyed the idea of female empowerment, especially within her own culture. The mistreatment and oppression of Arab women is something that Essaydi fought to end through her art. A lot of her photography depicts ethnic, Arab women in white veils with calligraphy strewn throughout the composition. In my own personal research, I found an interview with Essaydi in which she states,"My work is about cultural boundaries and evokes art history. It is at once personal and political, domestic and social. It reaches back to myth and burdened stereotypes. It upsets our thinking about gender, hierarchy and power, and tradition that limits as well as preserves." (Brooks 18) I think that Lalla Essaydi wanted to bring to light the personal and political cultural boundaries that often plagued her female subjects. In the same interview she states;

"We are very strong women; we have very strong beliefs. But we also believe and know that in our culture, change cannot come by confrontation with people. It has to come little by little but in a very strong way. In that sense, in my work you can see that a little bit. It’s peaceful. It’s not confrontational but yet it’s very strong and shows the character of the women." (Brooks 19)

I think that the very subtle form of action in which the culture and oppression of Arab women is highlighted, but not confrontationally, mirrors this statement. Essaydi was a strong woman, who took her love of art and made a difference in the lives of her subjects. By showing only a small portion of the woman's face in this photograph, while making her expression one of longing, Essaydi demonstrates a sort of subtle activism that can get people to talk or think about making a change, in a way that promotes patience, intelligence, and overall social change.



Works cited

Essaydi, Lalla, Sarah T. Brooks, Danielle Widmann. Abraham, and Maureen G. Shanahan. "A Conversation with Lalla Essaydi." The Photography of Lalla Essaydi: Critiquing and Contextualizing Orientalism. Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison U, 2014. 16-41. Print.