Facebook break.
Ok, I'm ready to go public with this. A photographer out of San Diego named John R. Mireles has a show documenting his neighbors. He made a name for himself by taking images of the people in his neighborhood from all walks of life, enlarging those portraits and placing them on the fence surrounding his house. He also has a habit of taking images of the homeless issue in his neighborhood to use as a way to show how these "blights on his area" (aka the homeless) are "disease factories" and "something needs to be done", and he does not mean the homeless needs help. He has lauded the efforts of his city to spend money on placing spikes under overpasses to make it harder for homeless to sleep there. In his personal work he likes to take images of the downtrodden, the ordinary American. He currently has a museum show up. His website is filled with images of those who could find themselves on the street at any moment. Like I would with any artist, I've called Mr. Mireles out on this contradiction and asked him to explain how he can have this viewpoint and yet use their images. He has even taken an image of a woman sleeping in human excrement as a way to show how the homeless bring down property value and safety in his neighborhood. Instead of engaging in a frank and honest discussion about this Mr. Mireles has decided to insult me, look through my website and tear me and my work apart. I'd like to share what he wrote to me today. This is a man who is currently working on his Guggenheim Fellowship application and has a museum show:
"Since I don't know who you are, I went to your website. Wow... you're colonialist street photographer whose work not is only on the low side of third rate, it is both conceptually and visually on par with tourist snapshots. I'd suggest that, instead of taking potshots at me, you sit quietly and look and listen while those who actually are creating intellectually valid and visually well crafted work try to teach you how to elevate yourself from the ranks of a mediocre cultural pornographer.
Everything that you accuse me of is right.there.in.your.work. Stop projecting and focus on improving your art. You'll do better as a human being and an artist - if you ever are fortunate to achieve that status.
Thanks for a good laugh by the way..."
So. There's that. Next time someone asks me why I'm not ready to share my work, this is why. I'm not ready. I haven't given any ideas that I am ready. But my taste is there. I know what I need to do in order to move forward and I'm ready to listen to any criticism that comes my way. I will always listen when someone tells me to be better, even this entitled man who decided to shame me instead of having an intelligent discussion. Thank you for reading.
