This is an odd little show that I don’t necessarily understand but nonetheless found enjoyable. The first room contains large, dark, vertical pictures that are all black except for the bottom ten percent of the image, which is filled by illuminated wood grain. Is this the effect of a failure in the lighting of the picture? Has the shutter been set faster than the camera’s sync speed? Not sure, but something has gone wrong, and with a heavy hand, Diamond has set a mood.
Room number two contains video screens showing torsos of fidgeting families posing for portraits, a failure of a traditional family portrait. And in Room Three (spoiler alert), the payoff is an actual family posing in front of an empty wall in the ubiquitous golden triangle to have their picture taken. And in staring at these strangers, it is hard not to ask why people get family portraits made at the mall. Surely, the end result will be an odd, forced version of the family, a picture that is charmless, that falls far short of the emotional impact of the hundreds of family snapshots pasted into albums at home.
Ramis Barquet Gallery (532 W 24th St. Btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) through Oct. 2nd
1 comments:
"... in staring at these strangers, it is hard not to ask why people get family portraits made at the mall. Surely, the end result will be an odd, forced version of the family, a picture that is charmless, that falls far short of the emotional impact of the hundreds of family snapshots pasted into albums at home."
I went to look at the website for this gallery, and although it may seem forced, the family portrait should be a requirement for every family. The act of taking a picture together and labeling it 'family portrait' is important in the act of inclusion for all members. It says 'this is the entire unit - this is the whole and without one, the puzzle would be incomplete". As redundant as these images may seem, I think every family portrait reveals strength and unity, and the family bond (as imperfect as it may be in real life) is portrayed within the frame. That is the charm that I don't think family portraits lack, which is one of the few points with which I can disagree with you on.
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