Omer Oz
Untitled
Prompt: A project inspired by our chosen topic from our Integrated Seminar class. Any media is acceptable to create the project and the materials in the project should serve as metaphors for the topic.
My chosen topic for my Integrated Seminar class that influenced this project was Basquiat’s personal and professional relationship with Andy Warhol. I was inspired by their dynamic as friends but also as colleges and specifically by how things ended up between them. Basquiat’s hurting ego was a big part of their falling out, and probably the main reason why they stopped being a part of each other’s life. In this photograph, I’m trying to capture the feeling Basquiat might have felt.
I created two identical objects that represent two humans in a relationship. I decided to create them in a circular neutral shape and not in the shape of a human to eliminate any idea of gender, I want the viewers to have the ability to see whoever they want to see in this photograph. I chose cement as my material because it’s a metaphor for an ego- it’s hard, strong, and inflexible.
The use of light here is a metaphor for attention. One object is in the front, facing the light, but the other one is in the back, standing in the shadow of the first object. The object in the back doesn’t get the attention and validation he craves.
I specifically chose photography as my media, because it has the ability to freeze time and let us highlight a specific feeling or situation.
It was important to me to create an image that speaks to a variety of people and is not just about a specific relationship (Basquiat’s with Warhol) thus I used a minimal esthetic to eliminate any symbols of individuality. The viewer is able to see what he wants to see, and who he wants to see in the photograph.
