Photo Art Reframes Reality
by Carissa Marsh, GRAPHIC
Branch, 2004
Not many college campuses can boast their very own cultural institutions, but Pepperdine students can because of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum. The museum’s intimate galleries present world-class artwork that rivals larger collections thanks to the Weisman Foundation.
“Photos and Phantasy: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation” is the new exhibit on display. The exhibit opened Sept. 16 and will be on view until Dec. 10.
Opened in September 1992, the museum is named after Frederick Weisman, who in the 1950s began collecting masterpieces of modern and contemporary American and European art. Long before Abstract Expressionism and Pop art became popular, Weisman added pieces from these movements to his impressive collection. In fact, his personal collection was so outstanding, that during Weisman’s lifetime, it was acclaimed as one of the most important private collections of modern art in the United States.
After Weisman’s death, the Foundation continued in his tradition of collecting work by both new and young artists.
Photography is the overarching theme of the new exhibit, though it is not always as simple as a single photograph. During the 20th century, photography became a more popular creative medium through which artists could alter and capture reality. Digital imagery added fuel to the fire and made photo-based art a dynamic way to manipulate the world around us, and photography was no longer seen as simply a documentary-style art.
Through a variety of techniques, artists have been able to inject their own attitudes and put their own spin on the world through photography, creating multiple meanings and interpretations that call for viewers to critically examine each piece.
According to Museum assistant Carol Kmiec, the variety of pieces in “Photos and Phantasy” highlights the diverse ways that fantasy and photographic technology influence contemporary art. The exhibit showcases more than 50 pieces featuring a range of media including photography, painting, sculpture and installations from the 1950s to the present.
“It’s very contemporary, very colorful,” said Kmiec, who is also the arts education coordinator for the Center for the Arts. “It really has appealed to the student population. We’ve had a great reaction.”
The exhibit showcases the works of many well-known artists, including John Baldessari, Richard Ehrlich, David Hockney, Joel Morrison, Robert Rauschenberg, Thomas Ruff, Annelies Strba, John Waters and others.
“Photos and Phantasy” was organized by the Foundation and curated by Billie Milam Weisman, director of the Foundation.
Though the artworks seem to differ greatly from one another, the common theme running in the exhibit is the use of photography and the artists’ perception of popular culture.
One of the first pieces that catches visitors’ eyes is Srdjan Loncar’s “Living Room,” which uses Styrofoam, photographs and pins to reconstruct the most used space in the American home. Loncar, who is known for sculpting everyday objects in a not-so-everyday way, created a life-size swivel chair, television set and puzzle-like abstract painting for his living room. Such detail as a cord hanging down to the ground from the back of the TV, as well as the type of photographic images used, makes Loncar’s work of everyday objects interesting to look at and analyze.