5/18/2014

Dazzling Femininity


Chiang Li-HuaAssistant Professor at Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts



Browsing through Women’s Voices-International Photography Exhibition 2014 (hereinafter referred to as Women’s Voices), I can’t help but recall a 1971 publication titled, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, by American art historian, Linda Nochlin (1931- ). In it, she raised the question whether there might be common attributes of “femininity” that reveal a connection amongst the styles of female artists. The ten female photographers invited to participate in Women’s Voices utilize a variety of homemade pinhole cameras, traditional cameras, and mixed media for their works.  Additionally, they applied photographic papers used across various eras (gelatin silver print, Polaroid film, digital fine art paper, etc.), diverse techniques of expression (experimental photography, direct photography, reporting or directing style of photography, etc.), and different presentation methods (mounted frames, handmade display books, interactive devices, etc.) to compose a rich visual feast. The contents of this exhibition explore such topics as “care for the female physique”, “gender and cultural differences”, “role-playing across time, space and gender”, “mythology and environmental issues”, “definition of happiness”, and “stories of female growth” that fully showcase diverse artistic perspectives. And so, what kind of “femininity” can we use to connect the styles of these female photographers?

The first female photographer to be recorded in the history of photography was Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879). When Cameron was 48 years old, her daughter gave her a camera, which started her career as a photographer. She was renowned for her skill in capturing beauty in arranged settings. These images led Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) to state in his book, Kleine Geschichte der Photographie, that the lively era of Cameron and other photographers marked a golden era in photography. Cameron earned a seat in the history of photography due to a few reasons. In addition to her skill in photography and experimental darkroom post-productions, she also drew inspiration from historical stories and literary works to assist in materializing her beauty [1] pursuits. This unique and elegant creative style of hers was the main reason she will always be remembered in the history of photography.

Similarly, the group of female photographers participating in Women’s Voices seem to share Cameron’s ability to capture the beauty around them: female bodies, motherhood, female poets and women’s culture of écriture féminine. Through these ways, a dazzling “femininity” is exhibited as a style that is both elegant and perseverant is constructed. Here, we are able to observe this type of style presented in Women’s Voices. It is as if women’s art herstory added another page to the history of photography.



Written in Taipei, Taiwan on May 13, 2014


[1]Cameron said”I longed to arrest all the beauty that came before me and at length the longing has been satisfied.”

《繽紛的女性氣質》


姜麗華/臺灣藝術大學美術學系 助理教授



觀看《繽紛女聲-2014國際攝影展》(以下簡稱《繽紛女聲》),不禁憶起美國藝術史學家琳達・諾克琳(Linda Nochlin, 1931-)於1971年發表的〈為什麼沒有偉大的女性藝術家?〉一文,她提出女性之間是否有共同特質的「女性氣質」,可以用來連結女性藝術家的風格?綜觀《繽紛女聲》邀請展出的十位女性攝影家,藉由自製的針孔相機、傳統相機與複合媒材進行創作,同時應用跨時代的各種相紙(銀鹽相紙、拍立得相紙、數位輸出藝術紙等)、多樣的表現手法(實驗攝影、直接攝影、報導或編導式攝影等)與不同的呈現方式(裱褙裝框、手工書籍展開頁、互動裝置等),形成豐富的視覺饗宴。該展覽作品內容探討議題從「關注女體」、「性別文化差異」、「跨越時空或性別的角色扮演」、「神話與環保議題」、「幸福的定義」以及「女性成長的故事」等,呈現多元的藝術觀點。那麼我們可以用什麼樣的「女性氣質」,來連結這群女性攝影家的風格?

回顧攝影史文獻,首位被記載的女性攝影家卡美倫(Julia Margaret Cameron, 1815-1879),於她48歲之際,女兒贈與一台相機而開始以攝影為業。她擅長以安排的佈景來捕捉美輪美奐的影像聞名,這些影像讓華特‧班雅明(Walter Benjamin, 1892-1940)在〈攝影小史〉文中載明,卡美倫等攝影師活躍的時代,正是攝影的黃金時代。若探問是什麼因素讓卡美倫得以名列攝影史之席,除了她純熟拍攝的技巧與實驗性的暗房後製之外,從歷史故事或文學作品中汲取靈感的手法,有助於她實現對美感的追求[1],創造出獨特的柔美風格,是她能夠名留藝術攝影史的主因。

同樣的,《繽紛女聲》這群女性攝影家共同的特質猶如卡美倫捕捉自身關注的美感:女體、母性、女詩、女性文化之陰性書寫,顯現繽紛的「女性氣質」並構築出柔美與堅毅兼備的風格。在此,我們觀察到《繽紛女聲》呈展出的這般風格,儼然為女性的藝術史(Art herstory)在人類攝影史上增添一頁記載。



20140513日書寫於臺灣台北 


[1]卡美倫說:「I longed to arrest all the beauty that came before me and at length the longing has been satisfied.