Alecia Neo's portrait series entitled 'Home Visits', selections from which are currently presented as part of the 'Air-Conditioned Recession' gallery at Valentine Willie, struck me as a fairly well-executed study of the individuals within a community. taken in each subject's home or workplace, the everyman becomes a personage: a barber on his throne, surrounded by implements; a grandmother wrapped in an ethereal halo. at the same time, there is a sense that the tone of the portraits is being kept admirably neutral, their purpose more descriptive than narrative or moralistic. despite the slightly stylised setups, the photos neither glamourise their subjects nor portray them in an overly pessimistic light.
perhaps one criticism that can be directed at the series is a slight feeling of inconsistency in the treatment of some of the portraits - a sense of work in progress, maybe? but that does not detract from the strength of the series as a portrayal of a community of individuals with a feeling of empathy, rather than mere sympathy.
No comments:
Post a Comment