Behind closed doors: from facts to narratives in the photographic works of Taryn Simon and Thomas Demand
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
J Muu elektroninen julkaisu
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Author
Date
2021
Department
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Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
Pages 120-132
Series
POPULAR INQUIRY: The Journal of the Aesthetics of Kitsch, Camp and Mass Culture, 5(2021):1
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.Description
Keywords
Photography, Thomas Demand, Taryn Simon, Unfamiliar Sites, Media-based Narratives
