Objectified
Exploitation, Appropriation and Self-Objectification (of the male figure) on the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission
Images from the internet, displayed on my iPhone and iPad then re-photographed on 4x5 and 8x10 film.
An Ongoing Cyanotype Project.
Shadow
10x8” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Sandow
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Rope
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Narcissus
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Cat
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
1918
10x8” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
In Bed
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Tongue
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Odalisque
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Charging
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Nipple
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Lyric
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Lift
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Foil
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Sink
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Hand
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Arm
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Towel
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Robe
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Show Me!
5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine
Objectified #AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission
Objectified
Exploitation, Appropriation and Self - Objectification
(Of the male form) On the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission
An Ongoing Cyanotype Project
There is talk of talk of exploitation and objectification in the air.
I am interested in how people present themselves in photographs. I’ve noticed how many images of men, posted on social media, objectify the subject. A good number of these images are selfies or clearly directed, then posted, by the subject. They are not the product of formal photo sessions. I take screenshots of these images and save them in my phone.
I then re-photograph the images I’ve collected. I acknowledge the digital nature of the appropriated material by inserting my tablet or phone into a still life setting, then shooting the scenes on 4x5 or 8x10 film and printing with cyanotype. Using these analogue techniques places images from the digital world firmly in the physical one.
I have begun to wonder if the new rules regarding exploitation and objectification extended to selfies. If I appropriate a selfie that objectifies the subject, who is the objectifier, who the exploiter? The person who creates the image, the one who appropriates it, or both?
To celebrate appropriation and the exploitative nature of these images, they are used without permission.
This is an ongoing project which will result in a hand-made, limited edition, photographic artist book and prints, all printed with cyanotype (no ink involved).
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All images and text © 2020-2023 by David Sokosh.