- Arrest 1 (1965) by Bridget Riley
I’d like to propose an alternative method to discuss issues of race in visual culture and the photographic industry, but first some preliminaries.
HUGO AND THE CURRENT DEBATE
Necessary discussions about photography and its intersection with race are occurring once-more. Earlier this year, the criticisms were unambiguous – that the PDN failed to reflect the diversity of society on it’s jury panel. Now however, the discussions stem not from critique of the photographic industry, but off the back of Pieter Hugo’s work and all the readings viewers have heaped upon Nollywood and latterly The Hyena and Other Men.
The confusion between the two series doesn’t help as they have very different purposes; you won’t see Nigerian movie actors in zombie costumes on the street, but there is an outside chance you’ll see animal-handlers in Nigeria because they actually travel, actually perform and actually have large, wild animals as pets.
To borrow a term from M. Scott Brauer, the ‘blog echo-chamber’ has been rumbling – Jim Johnson (interestingly all the way back in July); Amy Stein; duckrabbit; Daniel Cuthbert; and Joshua Spees
I will be clear here. I like Hugo’s work. I don’t think he exploits his subjects. I disagree with Jim Johnson when he says that Hugo’s work is ‘unexceptional’. I didn’t know that Nigeria had a thriving movie industry nor that Hyenas could be ‘tamed’ and kept on chains. To deliver new information is the least we should expect of photography, and yet often not achieved.
Sebastian Boncy and Stan Banos are absolutely right in that Hugo’s work can be used by viewers to confirm their existing racism, but Daniel Cutbert is also right in that Hugo is making interesting photos of interesting people in Africa.
Any work can be misinterpreted and to criticise Hugo for the potential small-mindedness of his viewers is to cut of debate prematurely. If we took this logic to the extreme then we’d all stop making pictures. I am glad to see names as famous as Walker Evans mentioned in the cultural relativist argument – that being that we don’t all get up in arms when photographers aesthetisise the rural (white) poor of Appalachia or beyond.
John Edwin Mason emailed me. He focused on the photographic product as it is consumed, and drew parallels between Hugos’ fine art work and that of the idiots at French Vogue:
“If Hugo’s viewers are the sort of folks who hang out in downtown galleries and read Aperture, wouldn’t there be considerable overlap between them and Vogue readers? Aren’t Hugo’s photos high-end consumer goods – in the same league as a designer dress, a Rolex, or a Merc? And like them signs of wealth, taste, sophistication? Even if we only aspire to own these kinds of [luxury] items and consume them via the magazines we read, the aspiration alone moves us away from ordinary people.”
The territory of art as commodity is perhaps where the richest investigations of inequalities can occur.
World #13 (2006) by Ruud Van Empel, Cibachrome, 33 x 36.5 inches
PHOTOGRAPHY AND RACE CONFERENCE
I wonder if this hotly debated topic were fleshed out elsewhere our results would be different? Instead of PDN answering to the inequalities of an industry, instead of comments being lost in wordpress/tyepad archives, instead of calls to extend the discussion being missed/ignored and instead of suspicion and frantic typing prevailing … could we try something different?
I am sure most photographers have a lot of common ground to stake. But unfortunately, the web (or at least typing on the web) is no substitute for discussion. It takes too long, the moments pass, emotions deflate and you’re not even sure if you’re being heard/read.
So could we not back up our convictions with a commitment to meet in person. I am not talking about a coffee and a quick chat. Could we the photoblogosphere-peeps not arrange among ourselves a “conference”? It doesn’t need to be a massive production but the invite could be open. If photo-collectives, companies, magazines want to join then all the better. The agenda is ours to set.
Don’t panic. It’s just a proposal. We could hold it anywhere; New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Toronto, Chicago. We could do it next spring or summer … and plan.
San Quentin Giants, by Emiliano Granado
Obviously, discussion of race is impossible to ignore within the Prison Photography project.
The American prison system cages a disproportionate number of Black men. Other minorities are subjugated. Accusations of misogyny and gender prejudice can only gather traction given recent sentencing pollicy.
Issues change as one moves between domestic and foriegn sites of incarceration, but are no less important.
I’ve got much to say. Will you join me?
Prison Photography 
15 comments
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October 15, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Stan Banos
Well, the least I (we) can do is post on our respective blogs, get the word out, ask for suggestions and and get the ball rolling. It’s a great idea for sure- at the same time, I’m wondering… Wouldn’t a more localized setting also exclude a lot of people by its very physicality? If we were to go that route we simply couldn’t all make the effort to meet and just chat- something more permanent and worthwhile would have to come out of it. That, I think, is the real question…
October 15, 2009 at 3:02 pm
John Edwin Mason
I agree. The conversation is important. And it’s better to speak face to face than to talk virtually.
Getting to know each other, building personal relationships, learning from people with whom you disagree… I can see the good in all of these things. But you must have more than this in mind.
As for when and where… How about simultaneously with a photo festival? Lots of photographers and industry people would already be on hand.
October 15, 2009 at 3:40 pm
petebrook
Stan and John. Valid questions. These are the sorts of things we’d need to think about. Note, I say we, because I alone am too puny to organise something like this. The production would need to be low key as costs would have to remain low. That doesn’t mean expectations should be low.
The word conference can conjure many images. In terms of participants I’d like to see anything between 12 and 112.
Putting us all in one location solves some problems but creates others. However, I envision this as an exercise to extend and improve upon our online relationships. It also requires more commitment to travel to an agreed place than it does post comments on a blog.
I think the idea of piggy-backing on the back of an established photofestival is a great one. It is unreasonable to ask people to travel and pay a lot for a small first-time conference organised by inexperienced dreamers, but if they have another excuse or are in the locale already, then it would work to our advantage.
I’d envision the papers delivered could be web published and the presentations/discussions filmed and web-posted. These are small but necessary things to let the content live on infinitum…
Just a quick search would suggest that there are academics to talk about representations:
http://hhs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/4/68
http://arthistory.rutgers.edu/faculty/bios/sheehan/
https://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/arthistory/Eisinger.htm
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/6aa/6aa110.htm
But the conference would also need to be about the photographer’s experience too. We’d need to distinguish between practices of photography – fashion vs. fine art vs. documentary.
We’d need to distinguish across time periods and geography.
These are all thoughts. Interestingly, if you search “Race and Photography Conference” it’ll bring you straight back to this page. That doesn’t mean a conference such as this hasn’t happened but it means it’s not accessible on tinternet.
October 15, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Nathalie Belayche
I’m 100% for face-to face conversations about issues like the ones you tackle here . A debate on Photography and Race is too much sensitive to avoid misunderstanding and endless comments if it exists only via blogs…
Such a “conference” could be part of an event like a photo festival. For sure, this is an option. Also, there are material to organize an exhibtion to support the cause and open the dialogue. Then ok, costs of production !
Actually ideas made their paths as you have just drawn a proposal. I wish for others to add their voices
A “salon” for real conversations as it still exists virtually is definitely a place I would like to join. But you know what ? I’m in Europe and you guys from the photoblogosphere are mostly US based …A travelling salon ?!
Voila , some food for your thoughs
October 15, 2009 at 8:23 pm
M. Scott Brauer
Definitely a conversation worth having, and a conference would be great. A bit ambitious to start off with a stand-alone conference, but piggybacking on something such as the New York Photo Festival (which spans a great range of photography), would be ideal.
Another concern, is whether commentators at the hypothetical festival/lecture would be willing to address contemporaneous photography. It’s one thing to stand in a lecture hall and talk about the racism in colonial photography and quite another to say “Pieter Hugo’s photography is racist” with Mr. Hugo sitting at the same table ready to comment. In fact, I could see the whole thing turning into some hapless photographer being pilloried.
But that’s not to say it shouldn’t happen. Finding someone in the fashion photo industry willing to publicly speak up about Vogue’s blackface, though, might just be more difficult than one would think. The small nature of the photo industry makes it such that no one wants to rock the boat for fear that it would cost one a future commission.
I could also see a pretty interesting accompanying exhibition illustrating racial notions from past to present.
October 15, 2009 at 9:50 pm
petebrook
Thanks for checking in Scott. If we are going to start naming our preferred festivals I’d like to go for PhotoNola [http://photonola.org/photo-nola-2009/] but it is in 6 weeks time and that just isn’t going to happen. New Orleans would be a good venue in that it would probably level the playing field and require the East and West coast attitudes to check themselves at the door.
Like I’ve said, I don’t think Hugo is malevolent with his craft. I would not want to see anybody at an event such as this get pilloried, photographer or otherwise. Perhaps its a tall order to establish beforehand the extreme culture of respect that we’d wish to engender, but it’d be something to shoot for. You are going to hope that folk who are overt racists and throw accusations of racism about easily would stay away. For those who aren’t aware enough to the subtleties of each others’ emotional-minefields, then it’s a time to learn respectfully with one another.
October 15, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Daniel
I like the idea of using the NY Photo Festival, very good in fact.
October 15, 2009 at 10:17 pm
petebrook
Yeah. After some tepid reports from NYPF2009 perhaps we’d be able to bring something new and exciting to the table in 2010!? By the way, does anybody know when they announce the curators for that?
October 16, 2009 at 12:05 am
A conference on race and photography | dvafoto
[…] Photography’s started a great conversation on the possibility of holding a conference on the subject of race and photography. I think Pete may be on to something. We’ve had no shortage of discussion on the issue in the […]
October 16, 2009 at 7:24 am
John Edwin Mason
M. Scott Brauer: “I could see the whole thing turning into some hapless photographer being pilloried.”
Agreed. I’ve seen it happen. Not to a photographer–this was in another setting, but the issues were similar. A large crowd was on hand, and something of a mob mentality developed. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t instructive. And little changed because of it.
Hugo’s photography is, to me, representative of a larger problem (or, better yet, representative of a larger set of problems). Our focus should be on those problems, not on individuals.
October 16, 2009 at 10:24 am
colin
Great idea, but it would have to step a long way up from the embarassing Pieter Hugo (who is absolutely the best thing to come out of photography in the last couple of years) commentary which didn’t amount to much more than a pointing of fingers and a yah-boo-racist – much of which was centred on more parochial notions of race. Quite different to where Pieter Hugo is coming from. So the US is not the best place for it.
October 16, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Sebastien Boncy
Maybe the people at Fotofest in Houston could be interested. It is bigger than the New York festival, Houston is a cheaper city. Fred Baldwin and Wendy Watriss are all about that sort of dialogue. It might be too late for 2010, but who knows. Thoughts?
October 16, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Stan Banos
I just posted this concern on DVA, which is… (and no disrespect to all concerned) what can we do to best prevent this from ending up just another gathering of white guys talking to eachother as in most photo anythings?
Plane fare, car fare, conference fees and hotels- this should be as all inclusive as possible, not just for those that can afford it. Perhaps some techno youngbloods can offer up some suggestions on how we can all participate in some manner of live format during, or at least, in addition to…
Is this gonna be the whole show or just the physical manifestation of a much larger conversation with more consequences, participation and results?
October 17, 2009 at 1:18 am
petebrook
Stan.
I am very aware of this potential stumbling block. I plan to write more extensively this weekend on where we are upto in planning. (After a few phone calls). But within the obvious limitations of an event I will endeavour to keep dialogue and possibilities as open and flexible as possible to accommodate all stakeholders. I am already in conversation to widen the reach and diversity of the group. For the health and wealth of the meet we shall all be called upon to get the word out – always emphasizing inclusion. I’ll give you a call this weekend and we can chat about it.
Pete
October 17, 2009 at 7:50 am
John Edwin Mason
Stan said: “…this should be as all inclusive as possible, not just for those that can afford it.”
As Pete says, you’re right. Accessibility is an important consideration.
This is one reason to hold the proposed meeting simultaneously with a photo festival. Many photographers (and others) will have already budgeted for a festival. We should, of course, pick one that attracts large numbers of attendees and is in a place where travel costs aren’t excessive.
There’s another reason to hold the meeting at the same time and in the same place as a festival. As I understand it, we’ve been talking about two dominant issues: (1) discrimination against photographers of color within the profession and (2) the representation of the poor and communities of color. Many of the people we want to reach are precisely those who come to festivals: editors, agencies, and curators who overlook photographers of color when hiring, exhibiting, creating panels of judges, etc.; and photographers who fail to acknowledge their responsibility to their subjects and the communities within which they work.