Rodney Graham is a successful photographer, filmmaker, sculptor and artist; often exploring and exploiting a multitude of mediums to produce astounding contemporary art work. Graham’s most recent body of work is That’s Not Me, which is a large collection of manipulated self-portraits in light boxes. The grand scale of the work mimics the scale of the work inputted into the work.
We received a tour around this gallery space, along with Graham’s other film work, by a member of the Baltic staff. Although the tour did elaborate on some of the works, and how they relate to the seasons, films and real life scenarios, we felt as a group that she didn’t provide an in depth analysis like we would have hoped for.
Graham’s work is always staged; he becomes the director, the photographer, the writer and the producer. This vast control of all aspects allows Graham to produce high quality, focused work. Although the work very impressive, it did not suit my personal taste. I believe this is because of the falseness of the images, and how animated they feel – almost removing them as photographs and transforming them into some sort of art work. Viewing this work was a good experience as it showed me what is possible for the future.
Rachel Buxton Photography 