MEISELAS, Susan - Mediations

Personal statement by the photographer, Susan MEISELAS

"For me, the essence of documentary photography has always been to do with evidence.” (© Susan MEISELAS)

Background information

"A member of MAGNUM Photos since 1976, Susan MEISELAS became known for her work in the conflict zones of Central America in the 1970s and '80s and for the strength of her color photography. Covering many subjects and countries, from war to human-rights issues and from cultural identity to the sex industry, Susan MEISELAS uses photography, film, video and sometimes archive material, as she relentlessly explores and develops narratives integrating the participation of her subjects in her works. She constantly questions the photographic process and her role as witness.
"This exhaustive monograph of Susan MEISELAS has been released in occasion of the retrospective that will take place at Tàpies Foundation in Barcelone, Jeu de Paume in Paris and SFMOMA in San Francisco. This exhibition and monograph propose a selection of works from the 1970s to today which reveal the particular approach of Susan MEISELAS toward to the underlying reasons for making photographs, how the image concerns it’s subject as much as the photographer and the role that these images can have at different levels in society and particularly in photojournalism. The US American documentary photographer and Magnum member questions the relationship between the image and the subject in such a way as to include the people portrayed in the image in the process of the making. There is nothing systematic in her approach: each work expresses in a very strong manner that context is vital to the understanding of photography. Therefore her work is specific to the persons portrayed, to the notion of community to which they belong and to the locality of the geographic and political territories that the artist addresses. The way of the showing the work is equally a part of the thought process. How does the spectator behold the artwork? It is often comprised of many parts, made in different media: each 'layer' is used to document a level of meaning. For Susan MEISELAS one should be able to grasp why the image was taken. Both the subject of the image and the context in which the images are shown are taken into account in the elaboration of each project." (© Damiani, 2018)

Content

Presenting a selection of works from the 1970s through the present day, 'Mediations' by Susan MEISELAS retraces her trajectory from the 1970s to the present. It also features an illustrious list of contributors that includes Ariella Azoulay, Eduardo Cadava and Kristin Lubben, among others." (© Damiani, 2018)

About the US American photographer, Susan MEISELAS (b. 1948, in Baltimore)

Photo books by and with contribution by Susan MEISELAS