Posted: 12 Dec 2011 06:36 PM PST
Winterthur, Switzerland - Last year’s exhibition “Darkside I – Photographic Desire and Sexuality Photographed” explored the role of photography in the imaging of sexuality and desire.
Now, the sequel, “Darkside II”, looks at the opposite end of the photographic spectrum, charting the path from the body as a veritable ‘picture of health’ to the body injured, disfigured or mutilated, in decline and decay. This raises questions: Why is there an intimate affinity between photography and death? Why does violence attract images? The visual world of western culture is full of images of violence – both random outbursts of violence and military violence, regulative state violence. In a strange reversal, societies have shut away images of life-affirming, life-giving sexuality, banishing them to the fringes of obscurity, whereas images of dark and excessive violence have been brought into the light. The reasons for this are many and complex:
These images have a consoling aspect, at the same time they are fascinating and function as memorials, or as enlightening manifestos.
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