madonna

Against the narcissistic claim of self-telling or self-observation,
banal phisical appearance and ratified expressions of the do-it-yourself
that aim to tender as outgoing and talkative messages,
I suggest the option of dimming — to the negation —
the somatic features and the individuality of the showed body.

Testing a storytelling of the ‘figure’ only by symbolic qualities,
means to lower substantially the contact with the subject.
Joining a definition or title in a ‘magritte style’,
inserted into the work as a (amused) grip not-at-all explanatory,
works to shed from the physiognomic or psycologic portrait’s common sense.

Once weakened the identification and temper elements
or disclosure opportunity for a ‘personal story’ building,
we have to verify if the subject still keeps — and its limit —
self ‘umanity’ and/or conveys self-mirroring elements,
stiffens in an impervious sculpture mood instead,
or permits once again introspection and sympathy .

Judgements to be meditated on (and compared for example to the selfies)
watching through the unmanipulated bare data of a toneless head of hair,
a glaring paper-white, a detail in deep shadow or out-of-focus,
just elementary media of the traditional photographic process.

Analogic film shots (1999-2013); scanned from FB-Ag paper.
File corrections only for mending and tonal tuning.