Frances Martinez: Photo Series Self Portrait Project

 Quote 1: "Photography can enslave and revictimize, Weems has shown us; it can also, potentially, set us free from our inherited bias and expectations." (NY Times: How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making)

Quote 2: "It’s about kind of capturing moments through various forms of documentation. And she takes all of these things to the world at large that might not be considered fine arts. She turns them into something intelligent, harrowing and emotional.” (Ana Mendieta: Artist Who Pushed Boundaries | NYTimes)

Quote 3:   "In teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have a right to observe. They are a grammar and, even more importantly, an ethics of seeing. Finally, the most grandiose result of the photographic enterprise is to give us the sense that we can hold the whole world in our heads -- as an anthology of images." (Susan Sontag on Photography)

                                        The Five Senses Series, Frances Martinez, 2024

 

Taste, Frances Martinez, 2024             

Smell, Frances Martinez, 2024

 

Touch, Frances Martinez, 2024

 

Hearing, Frances Martinez, 2024

Sight, Frances Martinez, 2024

    I was inspired by the powerful messages of each artist's work we have studied in class so far. My concept for these photographs came from Carrie Mae Weems, Cindy Sherman, and Ana Mendieta. Conceptualizing my idea was difficult because of the many directions I could have taken. The conversations we have had about the male gaze, gender roles, and the societal expectations that women have, have inspired the theme of this project. All three artists we studied have all taken their own personal journeys and have created this space to be able to embrace femininity and be free to express the weird, the ugly, the uncomfortable, and the sad. I tried to give a sense of darkness throughout my series, along with light and hopefulness. I was inspired by the way Carrie Mae Weems poses in a photograph, but I tried to dramatize it a bit with this dark humor like Cindy Sherman, along with using shadows and light like Ana Mendieta. In the end, I wanted to transform these inspirations into my own concept, showing parts of myself, but still showing obscurity. 

     I wanted to challenge the concept of femininity, along with the male gaze and the submissiveness that women are expected to have. All these expectations our society has, has shaped the way women think of themselves, how they think they should speak and react, and in turn, it can cloud women from being the the best and true version of themselves. I wanted to be creative with the props and background I used to bring together my concept. I took all the pictures myself in my apartment. Using the timer on my phone inspired me to use a small hourglass in one of my photos, illustrating how there is always a time limit for something, and eventually time ends, but also how time is continuous and never stops. I played around a lot with my lighting and the dramatization of my poses to portray my message. The freedoms the three women artists have taken in their work pushed me to really reflect on the vision I had for this project and within myself as a person. The outfit that I used in a couple of the photographs is not typically what a man would expect a woman to wear, along with the pose I did in another photograph, which can be perceived as more masculine. Eye contact is also something I kept consistent with my message. I made sure I intentionally always looked at the camera to connect with the viewer, to show that I am observant and watching carefully. Taking photographs was never something I was comfortable doing, and I actually do not like the camera on me at all. Having to take my own photographs and be my own model made me appreciate the kind of artistry this takes. Seeing these artists we studied use photography as art really helped me with the process of creating this message.