Josephine Pryde is a contemporary artist born in Alnwick, UK in 1967. She received her BFA from Central St. Martins School of London and her MFA from Wimbledon School of Art in London. Pryde primarily uses installation and photography as mediums for her expression. Conceptually, her work has touched on numerous idea systems, including but not limited to, post modernist critiques, human/viewer interaction with art, as well as commodification of imagery. Her focus on commodity intrigued me to look more deeply into her work, primarily at her most recent show and first retrospective at the Kunstverein Gallery in Dusseldorf.
This retrospective, entitled 'Miss Austen Enjoys Photography,' is not only a retrospective, but a showcase of brand new work that Pryde actually shot and printed on site. Her subject matter for these images are over 30 guinea pigs of different colors shapes and sizes. Each one photographed at different angles and depths of field. These were shot in large format and printed large as well in bold color giving an almost overwhelming 'cute factor' the moment the viewer enters the gallery. The obvious connotation to guinea pigs as pets as well as their use for lab research as test subjects gives an almost disturbing ambiance to this section of the show. There is also the connotation of the constantly growing number of kitsch photography revolving around cute pets that fills Flickr accounts as well as the cameras of parents with small children bringing home their new family additions to the household.
The entire idea of creating work and showcasing at literally in the same space brings to question the idea of commodity and consumption through the production of 'cute' imagery that is almost arresting to the viewer, distracting him/her from broader concepts being commented on, let alone the rest of the retrospective. But this arrest of thought is a fantastic example of the commodification that people experience every day, but nonchalantly absorb.
http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/2012/03/josephine-pryde-at-kunstverein-dusseldorf/
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