PROJECT I - ARTISTS

Gregory Crewdson photographs have a strong narrative quality. A majority of the photographs seem to be telling the melancholy story of the figure in them. They remind of a lot of Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills because they also give off the feeling of a movie. However, Crewdson's work seem to be more like a Soap Opera. The dramatic lighting and somber scenery give off a vibe that the figure in a state of crisis. Crewdson sums up an entire Soap Opera episode with just one photograph.

Teun Hocks photographs also seem to be a way of storytelling. However, knowing that he is the figure in his photographs, the images give off a different vibe. They have a dream like quality. As the viewer I can't help but wonder what he is trying to say about himself. Why is he here, in this banal landscape? The photographs describe a world that exist in his imagination. After reading more about him, it seems, these images are his way of expressing failure, frustration, and the feelings of being trapped or having no control. Which, of course, are things that everyone can relate to in some way.

Jeff Wall's photographs seem to be a kind of documentary. Its interesting, to me, a majority of them are staged. They seem so candid. With this in mind, they are so obviously describing something he has witnessed or perhaps his reaction to something he has witnessed. In a lot of the photographs, Wall, recreates a, some what, familiar scene. At first glance, they appear to be an average American scene; a line of people waiting to get into a night club or a couple walking down the street. However, when you look a little closer something is always out of place or slightly off color. The photographs are staged, however, they describe real things; natural beauty, racism, war, urban decay, etc.

I'm already a big fan of Cindy Sherman's work. For her series Untitled Film Stills, as well as many other series she has produced, she uses herself as the figure. However, the photographs are not self-portraits. The characters in them describe a woman that we have all seen, although we can't quite place a name on her. They are a type of woman rather than a specific woman. These women are often shown as, some what, helpless or distressed. In the photographs, it appears as if someone else is looking at her or watching her. This is intended to describe the 'male gaze'. Sherman's work touches of a lot of issues such a gender, stereotypes, and identity.