I am working with two other photographers on a joint exhibition of our work, which has proven an interesting experiment in self-review. Becoming acquainted with each other (and each other’s works) is just one part of the complex process of creating a joint exhibition. Although we have been working hard to consolidate our ideas and choices, it hasn’t been an immediate success. We have three very different photography styles and subjects.
Despite this, I’ve found it easy to ‘curate’ a collection of our photographs that I find both interesting and aesthetically appealing, without a need to explain ‘why’. In fact, I gently propose that the curating choice is its own ‘why’ and no further definition is needed. This is akin to the difference between a novice chess player and a world-class one. With an advanced, highly refined intuition and perspective, the world-class chess player acts seemingly without thinking. But you can probably guess that one act is worth loads more than even an hour of deliberate consideration from the novice.
When it comes to viewing art, are we all novices or geniuses? Granted, it’s a bit harder to articulate the emotional and physical reactions to a collection of art, but ultimately it comes down to the same judgement and intuition at work. And I prefer to leave those processes untitled and unsaid.
This is a personal quirk, for I am actually well-qualified to critique. The combination of my studies in art, human behavior, and biology have given me a unique multi-disciplinary perspective on aesthetics. When I look at a photograph, I have the technical skills to identify the methods used to create the work, the scientific skills to know how the eye and brain are processing the information, and the emotional intelligence to sense and break down the complex associations I am making as a result of viewing it. But it really does beg the question: do I need to?
Communicating all of that is a further step, a different part of the brain and body, and surely some of it is completely untranslatable. No words will (should?) help trigger that aesthetic experience more than the art itself could. We all will have different tastes, therefore, with different consequences.
And I quite like it that way.
