Author: Caroline Olsen-Van Stone
Art professor Amy Lyford took her photography class to the Getty Museum last week to see the Danza de la Cabrita and California Video exhibits, as well as photos by French photographer André Kertész.
Danza de la Cabrita is an exhibit of 140 photographs by contemporary Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide. She chose pieces from six projects she worked on in central and northern Mexico, East Los Angeles and other parts of the US for her show. The contents of Iturbide’s photos include animals such as iguanas, birds and dogs; ritual and tradition; spare landscapes, portraits and everyday life.
One of the most intriguing and reproduced photos in the Iturbide show is “Mujer Angel.” This photo depicts an indigenous woman with long black hair carrying a portable radio up a hill with the Sonora Desert in the background. Iturbide took this photo when she was following the woman up the hill, so the viewer cannot see the woman’s face.
Iturbide also took photos of Mexican-Americans living in East LA as a part of the A Day in the Life of America publication in 1986. The photos from this project show members of a family in the White Fence gang. They are pictured in their neighborhood in front of places of their choosing. Iturbide apparently always asks before taking a photo of anyone. Lyford emphasized the role of the photographer in representing others. Though Iturbide always asks for permission, she has no control over the viewer.
“The Iturbide and Kertész collections were amazing,” Studio Art major Albert Vazquez (senior) said. “I see myself aspiring to their level of work. They have a great eye as visual artists.”
The California Video exhibit features 62 films ranging in running time from a few minutes to an hour-and-a-half long. Because the films in this show date from 1969 to the present, one can experience the development of video technology. Many of the films are experimental, using color, light and sound to communicate themes.
Breaking away from traditional methods of showing a film, Jim Campbell employs thousands of programmed LED lights in a grid pattern facing the wall to show “Home Movies.” Another interesting use of monitors is Bill Viola’s “The Sleepers.” In this work, he has placed video monitors showing a film of seven different people sleeping in seven white oil drums filled with water.
Martin Kersels’s whimsical “Pink Constellation” shows a girl in a pink bedroom in which the gravity changes, allowing her to walk on the ceiling and walls. When the filmmaker enters the frame, the gravity affects the objects in the room as well, so he has to dodge falling dresser drawers.
The films are shown in traditional theater-style viewing spaces on large screens, flat screens, boxy televisions and as projections onto the walls. Most of the films have two sets of headphones attached. This creates an interesting experience because it fosters an individual relationship between viewer and film.
Danza de la Cabrita will be on display until April 13.
California Video closes June 8. For previews of 21 of the films, visit getty.edu/cavideo.
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