don’t call it a selfie.
Curated by Megan Ganey
Oct. 14 - Nov. 12, 2023
PLUG | Kansas City, MO
“Even when photographers are most concerned with mirroring reality, they are still haunted by tacit imperatives of taste and conscience .... to photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge -- and, therefore, like power.”
-Susan Sontag, On Photography, 1977 (emphasis added)
This exhibition explores themes such as identity and our relationship with our physical bodies, all within the context of the internet's influence on self-portraiture. How has the widespread use of mobile devices for self-representation or perhaps self-construction influenced the practice of creating self-portraits as a whole? Does occupying the roles of composer and subject increase the knowledge of self? How can self-portraiture feel like power?
Printed works will be displayed without traditional frames. By selecting self-portraits that delve into the theme of identity and ensuring they adhere to a uniform 9:16 aspect ratio, we can observe the effects of scale, time, and artistic intent frozen outside of our mobile devices in our physical reality.
Artists: Christina Marie Femiano, Kadie Nugent, Barrett Emke, Anthony Marcos Rea, Victoria Hernandez Velazquez, and Megan Ganey
Christina Marie Femiano (Leaving Houston) Still Standing, 2021 "The widespread use of mobile devices as cameras, and the ease with which users can share those self-portraits on the internet has deeply impacted my relationship with self-portraiture. Our phones are mirrors that lie to us, and gives us a way to lie to others. The accessibility of high quality phone cameras, and our ability to manipulate them, has started to erode our trust in photography, replacing it with the broader cultural understanding that cameras construct reality more often than they reflect it. That’s why self-portraits like this one are where I feel real power as a photographer. As both the composer and subject of the photograph, I hold the power of creating this physical record of reality as I experience it. The physical process of light altering the silver nitrate particles in the film to record the image is essential to what makes the photograph feel real. I choose to leave the dust speckles in my scans as further evidence of their physicality, they are real objects that collect dust, with no filters, and no editing. What left is an image that feels honest, a permanent reflection of a fleeting moment. A reminder to myself, in the midst of a difficult time that I am still here, still standing."
Kadie Nugent We Are Everywhere, 2023 "Whether we call images of ourselves selfies or self portraits, documenting ourselves and our lives is inherently powerful. This image was created for my teenage self who felt so out of place and fucking weird all the time. A teacher told me I walked like man in high school, and a boss told me that I was holding too much eye contact when speaking. My body was always under scrutiny and not fitting in the way I wanted it to. In the fear of drawing any attention, I recoiled from myself. It’s never too late to find yourself again - you’re the only one who can do it. Being your authentic self could open the door for others to realize their own power."
Megan Ganey my body is not protected_apr.5, 2023 "I am the subject because the intimacy is necessary and so is the control. This series is about deconstructing the male gaze, the presence that permeates everything, that limits us to things that already exist, that misinforms our self image. The same gaze that looks on in ownership of our bodies, that socially-licensed misogyny that permeates our politics and results in stolen rights, in dehumanization, in danger. Self-portraiture is a way for me to walk into my power."
Barrett Emke Self-Portrait, 2023 "For the past two years, I have turned my photographic practice toward subject matter I once shied away from in my work: my own sexuality and desire. I began photographing men that I was drawn to, utilizing my studio as a space to unravel threads of masculinity and attraction. Drawing inspiration from queer modernist paintings and photographs of the 20th century, as well as classical sculpture and pop music, I imagine myself in the role of gay male physique photographer while my collaborators play the part of the artist's muse. As the work continues to evolve, I have challenged myself to enter the frame as both artist and subject."
Victoria Hernandez Velazquez here i am again, i have to tell you something, 2022 "here i am again is a piece part from i have to tell you something. This piece portrays the isolation and blurred feelings within myself. "
Anthony Marcos Rea Mourning Spaces 2022-2023 "Months after my mother passed, it was in the early morning hours, when the sun was just making its way past the horizon and entering my room, that I could find time to mourn. All I could see were flowers - floral arrangements and other offerings filled my imagination and memory. Details I didn’t notice before. In the following days, I created a photograph marking this moment. What came from that was a series of images - self-portraits, floral landscapes, and adornments that I made in those early morning hours. This was my space for mourning and remembering loss - a personal conversation with myself that I still have once or so a month around the same time in the morning."
