Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
“Power” Exhibition
Review by Cathy Breslaw
“What lies in our power to
do, lies in our power not to do”. This quote by Artistotle is placed in large
letters on the wall at the beginning of the exhibition at MOPA. The title and theme of ‘power’ refers to the
use of photography as an instrument to shed light on important global social
and environmental issues. Based on Prix
Pictet, an annual juried prize – has established itself as the world’s leading
prize in photography and sustainability. It chose “power” as the subject of
this year’s exhibition – photography professionals from around the world
nominated 650 photographers from 76 countries and the list was whittled down to
12 for this exhibition. Guy Tillim, a South African photojournalist, exhibits
black and white archival pigment prints taken
in 2006 during the weeks of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first general
election since the 1990’s. These images mirror the political wasteland and
unrest resulting from the rivalry of the two presidential candidates at that
time. Jacqueline Hassink, a photographer
from the Netherlands presenta images from her series “Arab Domains”, chromogenic prints made of the dining rooms and boardrooms of
36 Arab women business leaders from 18 Arab countries. Hassink uses the ‘table’, in this case, a
symbol for economic power, to shed light into the lives of these highly
successful women in cultures traditionally lacking in ‘powerful’ women. French
photographer Philippe Chanceldocuments the aftermath of
the 2011 tsunami and ensuing nuclear reactor incident in northern Japan in
“Datazone”, archival inkjet prints revealing the power of natural disasters. Photographer Edmund Clark explores the spaces
and objects of power and control of
incarceration at Guantanamo. Other photographers explore subjects of war, oil spills, impact of
deforestation in the northwestern U.S. and the social realities of life in
urban areas.
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| Congo Democratic Guy Tillim archival pigment print |
Cathy Breslaw is a contemporary visual artist exhibiting across the U.S. at museums, galleries, college and university galleries and art centers. She is a contributing writer for Art Scene, southern California and writes her own blog: www.artfullifebycathy.blogspot.com Her art can be views at: www.cathybreslaw.com
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