Colony Little, Culture Shock Art

There are photographers that make me wish I was in an MFA program for creative writing.  Their work begs for a story to be told. This is how I feel about Carrie Mae Weems’ Kitchen Table Series.  Using a simple setting Weems was able to create a rich albeit fleeting glimpse at complex relationship dynamics in this series of photographs.  This project allowed the artist to explore her creative voice in a familiar setting.

It swung open this door of possibility of what I could do in my own environment.”~Carrie Mae Weems

The idea of limitations leading to liberation of thought is interesting.  Our creativity is only limited by emotional or psychological constraints, not physical ones.

Another series of photographs that are captivating, haunting and compelling is “From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried.”  In this series, the artist takes images historically used to categorize, simplify and fetishize our existence as African-Americans and she brings them to life by adding a voice to the photos.  It is a sobering way of forcing the viewer to think of how these images have shaped both our perceptions and those of others over time.

For more on the Kitchen Table Series.