The Kitchen Table Series by Carrie Mae Weems is a photo series comprised of 24 black-and-white images that represent the weight household spaces carry regarding intimacy and domesticity, as well as the woman’s role in a nuclear household. Carrie Mae Weems is both an artist and an activist, reflecting on her personal experiences as well as the experience of specifically black women contextualized through history and art. This essay argues that Weems uses her art, specifically this photo series, to hold a space for black women who are historically misunderstood and underrepresented in art; Weems' use of lighting, gesture, and position in these images brings attention to her lived experiences as well as that of the black woman, which harbors a …show more content…
Growing up in the mid-late 20th century, Weems had her own experiences of photography and the way it frames perspective, as well as the social and political climate regarding black Americans throughout this period. Weems uses her body as a vessel to draw the viewer in, and the context of the image to keep the viewer’s attention. In a journal article about Weems, Deborah Willis details the meaning behind these actions; “By re-staging and re-imagining the political climate in American history, Weems's role as provocateur forces us to visualize a moment which ultimately heightens our sensibilities to want to inquire and question the history memory. how her work is immersed in this interlocking of racial politics and feminist ideologies. She uses the photograph as an extension of this type of black feminist thought. ‘[Weems] invites us to look at the representation of women as she is situated in context: a context in which her beauty—and the value-laden concept of "beauty"—operates historically, culturally, and politically’.” Weems draws inspiration from photographers in the 1930s-1960s who documented the civil rights movement. She saw the struggle these photographers faced in even publishing their work and their will to uncover the truth despite having to put themselves in challenging and dangerous positions to do so. Weems admired this ability to use photography as a method of accurately preserving history and the ability to reinvent and modernize it. Harry Gomboa Jr. did something similar with his former art group, ASCO. ASCO is a Latin group of artists who work mainly in photography. One work in particular that highlights their similarity to Weems is La Mode, created in 1976. This work is part of a series called “No Movies” because they shot these images as if they were movie posters for a nonexistent film. Both the physical characteristics of these photos, as well as the meaning behind them, resonate
Carrie Mae Weems created a story using photographs. She called the photo series “The Kitchen Table Series”. The piece that I identified at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art was “Untitled, from the Kitchen Table Series, 1990/2010”. Weems encourages subject, form, and meaning in her piece. The photograph depicts a mother and daughter sitting at the dining room table applying makeup together. This tender moment displays the mother at the head of the table and the daughter is to her right(your left)
opportunities for female artist today. Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson specialize in catching the viewer’s eye and penetrating their feelings towards issues of culture, politics, equality, and feminism. It is well established that these woman specialize in identifying problems in their artwork, both artists seem to struggle with not being able to avoid the ignorant eye of stereotyping because they use African American Models in their artwork. Carrie Mae Weems doesn’t see her artwork
Gordon Parks was a photographer and humanitarian with a passion for documenting poverty, and civil rights in the second half of the 20th century. His signature style continues to be celebrated as one of the most iconic of the time. Carrie Mae Weems is an eclectic artist dedicated to exploring the themes of family, gender, racism, and class in America. Although she is well known in the creative community for her revolutionary photography series, she is also an award-winning artist who has worked
Color Purple are still placed in their social positions because of the intersection of their race, gender, and sexuality. Works Cited Bersani, Leo. "Loving Men." Constructing Masculinity. By Maurice Berger, Brian Wallis, Simon Watson, and Carrie Mae Weems. New York: Routledge, 1995. 115-23. Print. Crenshaw, Kimberle. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review 43.6 (1991): 1241- 299. JSTOR. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. Walker, Alice