Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The FOAM, and The Fizzle

So what the hell did I intend to accomplish with yesterday's post? Did I really think that I would get FOAM who twice rejected my inquiry to issue a mea culpa? Did I really think that the ol' blogosphere would suddenly and finally erupt with righteous indignation??? Surely, you jest...

Perhaps I was hoping that the message would, in fact, go beyond the usual handful who care. Perhaps I was hoping that it wouldn't take a $1,000 contest to get people thinking, talking, interacting. Perhaps I was hoping that a certain photographic organization in the continent of Europe (where they no longer have to debate whether torture is acceptable) would be slightly more progressive and inclusive- or at least live up to their own stated purpose and intention. I don't know.

Tired of me ranting on race? Well, I'm tired of reading and rereading about the need for new types of photojournalism; tired of the call for new and innovative ways of photographic storytelling. You want new vision, get new blood; get people of color involved in the creative and decision making end instead of holding them eternally hostage in front of the lens- think what a difference of vision that alone would make! Let's have Gary Knight integrate VII. Let's have Black, Asian, and Hispanic faces leading workshops and festivals, editing magazines and curating exhibits; lets have Africans photograph Africa...

Shit, just think what we did for music!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think your question at Foam is really important. The answer however is not about photography. Photography, as art, in the western world is part of an art market and markets are usually run by the rich whites... Photography reflects the society, and this is how society is unfortunately...
Recently, with the new interest in humanism, you can actually see a great interest in "Black, Asian, and Hispanic" photography. It is all around in festivals and galleries. But, who is promoting that and why? I think that the market still sees that kind of photography as "other" and it seems that the western photographic elite instead of enjoying the "other" photographed by them, they just enjoy it photographed by the "other", which makes them feel less guilty...

Erik said...

Did you ever consider that race is not an issue at Foam? There's a Korean photographer in the current issue of Foam Magazine. In the recent expert meeting Richard Hsu, born in Shanghai, was a guest. They've also worked with people like Ahmet Polat and Malick Sidibé.

Besides, I think they get tons of questions. There's a bit of luck involved as well.

Binbaz said...

Hey Stan, tell me if you think that this would be useful but the comments sections are still wide open and many of those questions do have a racial facet that could be brought up. I have some free time in the next couple of weeks and I could make a LOT of comments. With a handful of other dedicated "commenters" could we turn this?

Stan B. said...

Erik, the world is fifty per cent female, and majority nonwhite. It's time we move beyond mere tokenism in the 21st century, and start to consider what the terms diversity and inclusion really mean.

As for FOAM not considering race:

http://reciprocity-failure.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-just-dont-see-race-just-dont-drop-me.html

Stan B. said...

grimage- Agreed, the issue is about making it more than just a passing fancy. And the only way that is accomplished is by having those "traditionally" left out incorporated into the decision making process.

Stan B. said...

Binbaz- I think some screws are beyond turning- but constructive commentary is always beneficial...