Behind closed doors: from facts to narratives in the photographic works of Taryn Simon and Thomas Demand

Abstract

Photography, after reaching a sophisticated conceptual development in the last decades, is probably one of the most powerful art forms nowadays, and omnipresent in a hyper-narrative society; in this context, new discursive concerns are emerging. This study discusses artistic works made by Taryn Simon and Thomas Demand to examine how art photography questions the “documentary” quality of the medium in new ways. Blurring the boundaries between reportage, conceptualism and portraiture, Simon´s projects often deal with issues of power: An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamilar (2007) makes visible matters that are usually concealed from the public audience, showing inaccessible or unknown places that are inherent to America´s foundation, mythology and daily functioning. Demand´s recreations of apparently mundane scenes explore the frictions between opacity and intelligibility, fiction and veracity. Both Simon and Demand take as subjects the media-based narratives and perceptions of reality, remarking the potential of photography as a vehicle of consciousness.