The photographs produced by Lorna Simpson theorize ideologies of gender, race, and power. Her artwork is commentary of the state of blackness, specifically black womanhood, in America. Simpson knew from the beginning of her career that she wanted to focus on “race, a political fact and sociological fantasy that has shaped American culture so thoroughly for so long that no one can tell where its impact begins or ends, though countless people feel its effects every day” (qtd. in Cotter). Though these photographs were taken in the 1980s, many of the realities that they depict are just as true today. The representation of the black female body in Simpson’s photographs is significant as it is a body that is so often marginalized and fetishized.
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Simpson’s photographs are working to resist hegemonic deals, recover lost stories, and transform and broaden the notion of what it means to be a black woman. Many of these concerns are reflected in the work of other black women artists. The art of Lorna Simpson is especially similar to the work of Carrie Mae Weems, both in content and in theme. bell hooks explored some of these similarities by discussing the subversive nature of the work of these two artists, which include photographing black women in their everyday lives and portraying them as independent, fierce and self-defining women. They also rely heavily on text, which are deeply connected to the photographs themselves and often further the meaning of the photographs. Both artists are concerned with both presenting the reality of blackness in America, but also constructing an alternative narrative and …show more content…
As she portrays the very real struggles and triumphs black women have faced and are still facing. Two photographs, “Sounds Like, 1988” and “Guarded Conditions, 1989,” exhibit this. The first photograph, “Sounds Like, 1988,” is a collection of three photographs in which three black women are presented standing against a stark white background and wearing identical black shirts and black hats. What is startling, however, is that a white bandage-like cloth covers their eyes and the majority of their face. Over this cloth words are superimposed, “I,” “WIT,” “NESS.” The words superimposed on the white cloth tied around the women’s face literally address the act of bearing witness. “Sounds Like, 1988” is entreating the viewer to think about the connotations of the words “I witness” and the power they hold. This is a play on words in which the woman is both declaring, “I bear witness,” and is also remarking on the powerful position of an “eye witness.” The woman in the photograph is prevented from assuming the position of a eye witness because of the white cloth covering her eyes. Despite this, she is declaring the power to witness and report on what she experiences, and though her eyes are covered her mouth is not, reminding the viewer that the voice is a powerful tool in resisting
Simpson’s photographs are working to resist hegemonic deals, recover lost stories, and transform and broaden the notion of what it means to be a black woman. Many of these concerns are reflected in the work of other black women artists. The art of Lorna Simpson is especially similar to the work of Carrie Mae Weems, both in content and in theme. bell hooks explored some of these similarities by discussing the subversive nature of the work of these two artists, which include photographing black women in their everyday lives and portraying them as independent, fierce and self-defining women. They also rely heavily on text, which are deeply connected to the photographs themselves and often further the meaning of the photographs. Both artists are concerned with both presenting the reality of blackness in America, but also constructing an alternative narrative and …show more content…
As she portrays the very real struggles and triumphs black women have faced and are still facing. Two photographs, “Sounds Like, 1988” and “Guarded Conditions, 1989,” exhibit this. The first photograph, “Sounds Like, 1988,” is a collection of three photographs in which three black women are presented standing against a stark white background and wearing identical black shirts and black hats. What is startling, however, is that a white bandage-like cloth covers their eyes and the majority of their face. Over this cloth words are superimposed, “I,” “WIT,” “NESS.” The words superimposed on the white cloth tied around the women’s face literally address the act of bearing witness. “Sounds Like, 1988” is entreating the viewer to think about the connotations of the words “I witness” and the power they hold. This is a play on words in which the woman is both declaring, “I bear witness,” and is also remarking on the powerful position of an “eye witness.” The woman in the photograph is prevented from assuming the position of a eye witness because of the white cloth covering her eyes. Despite this, she is declaring the power to witness and report on what she experiences, and though her eyes are covered her mouth is not, reminding the viewer that the voice is a powerful tool in resisting