German photographers Anke Linz and Andreas Oettinger (who work together under the pseudonym Billy & Hells) and American photographer Susan A. Barnett have radically different approaches to their work. Barnett likes to photograph ordinary people on the streets. She focuses on their body language, dress and demeanour rather than their facial expressions, and her subjects often have their backs to the camera. On the other hand Billy & Hells are known for their carefully staged, dreamy, enigmatic portraits of stylish women. Their subjects look straight into the camera, yet they are mysterious, revealing little about their innermost thoughts, feelings, beliefs and fears. “Silk Rose & Sneakers”, a joint exhibition by these artists, celebrates their different artistic vocabularies, while also highlighting the playfulness and edgy feel that is a common feature of their works. Their photographs capture the zeitgeist in different ways, presenting an interesting narrative about contemporary society.
Barnett’s interest in photography was sparked when she saw musician George Harrison carrying a Pentax Spotmatic camera on a visit to New York. “I immediately went out and bought the same camera and began photographing everyday life in New York as I saw it,” she says. The series she is presenting in this show, titled “Not in Your Face”, explores the cultural, political and social issues that have an impact on our daily lives through the words printed on the back of T-shirts. The statements people have chosen to display on their backs include funny, irreverent, ironic and profound messages such as “Life is just a Parade”, “No means No”, “I shop therefore I am”, “Gaza strip tease” and “I’m Muslim, Don’t Panik”.
“In these photographs we witness a chronicle of American subcultures and vernaculars which illustrate the American identity. These images demonstrate how these individuals wear a kind of badge of honour or trophy that says ‘I belong to this group not the other’. Each one of these people reveals a part of themselves that advertises their hopes, ideals, likes, dislikes, political views and personal mantras,” she says.
Berliners Linz and Oettinger have been working together since the 1980s. They discovered what has now become their signature visual style by accident. “We forgot to take a black-and-white negative out of the developer, and ended up with an intense image with colours that looked simultaneously rich and muted,” they say.
The duo’s stylised images reflect their interest in advertising and fashion. They use elaborate hand-painted backdrops and take inspiration from various fabrics, colour compositions and clothing to create a distinct mood for every portrait. The stunningly beautiful faces, and the fashionable clothes and glamorous poses of the models in their photographs are an ironic representation of a clichéd “ideal” that highlights as well as questions society’s fascination with aesthetic ideals.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.
“Silk Rose & Sneakers” will run at The Empty Quarter, DIFC, until October 23.
