Desire and Otherness by Ann Roth

erised

desire and ootherness TITUS BROOKS HEAGINS

ssenreht

All images by Titus Brooks Heagins and are subject to copyright protection. Cover: Nikki, 2009

EXHIBITION SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

The Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery Endowment Fund Meredith College Art Department Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation

TITUS BROOKS HEAGINS

s s e n r e h to

desire and ootherness

Devonte Hayes, 20 08

erised

Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery Raleigh, North Carolina

January 31 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 4, 2010

Michael, Amanda and Luna, 20 09

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

DESIRE AND OTHERNESS Titus Brooks Heagins

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

THE SPACE BETWEEN US Marianetta Porter

WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

TITUS BROOKS HEAGINS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Ja'nay, 20 09

itus Heagins’ photographic inquiries are diverse: portraits of East Durham, North Carolina residents, photographic

reconstructions of pre-emancipation images of African Americans , spiritual expressions of descendents of Africans living in

the Western hemisphere, life in Cuba and Haiti, those who

remained and those who fled the deterioration of Detroit’s

streets, buildings, homes, churches and playgrounds, among

others. As I’ve experienced his work from some of these series, I’ve felt the concept of desire and otherness is present as well. Titus’s images stimulate questions and comparisons based

upon the viewer ’s experiences, both in common with and

different from the subject. The urge to compare and contrast is immediate and unavoidable; the feelings of comfort

a n d unease, as well. In her essay, Marianetta Porter o f f e r s

a p e r s p e c t i v e o n t h e i m m e d i a c y o f t h i s d i a l o g u e between

artist, subject and viewer, complementing the t h ou g h t s Ti t u s

voic es in his st at ement . I am pleased Meredit h Colleg e is ab le to present this remarkable collection of images that provide

the opportunity for examining one’s openness to differences, personal biases, and growth in self knowledge. —ANN ROTH

Gallery Director, Meredith College

Opposite: Jesse, 2009

Desire and otherness

t h e r n e s s i s d e f i n e d b y d i ff e re n c e , t y p i c a l l y m a n i f e s t e d b y r a c e , c l a s s , g e n d e r, a n d / o r s o m e o t h e r v i s u a l m a r k e r s . In a world of heightened individuality, our desire of otherness evidences the fact we

cannot exist without “the other,” especially

since without them we cannot possess a true

concept of ourselves. Continually, day-to-day we define ourselves in opposition to “the other.”

Desire for the other can never be fulfilled,

because otherness is located in an unattainable state of being. Yet through representations of common cultural consumptions, otherness is

consumed and daily replenished. Essentially,

we desire that which we are not, or that which we are willing to become momentarily if

only for a moment. Desire is represented in

unconscious wishes and conscious fantasies. “Desire and Otherness” is a both a visual

narrative and photographic discourse. The visual narrative recounts the stories of

marginalized persons who are daily robbed of voice through the simplest interactions with those of the dominant cultures. The

photographic discourse is dependant upon the viewers’ ability and willingness to honestly face “the other” and recognize their own location within the context of otherness.

Further, it is incumbent upon the viewer to

ferret out his or her own participation in the

intellectual and physical disempowerment of persons of difference.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Lolita Girls, 20 08

t has been said that I am obsessed with creating beautiful images regardless the subject matter.

I believe that the beauty in the experiences of

of his or her situation. Fear, curiosity,

My photography is rooted in and dedicated

failure are integral to the body language and

the “outsider” simply doesn’t escape my eye. to the expressive documentary spirit and

tradition. Within that spirit, authorship and a personal visual aesthetic is grounded in humanistic stories and themes.

For the past several years, my visual

obsession has embraced the documentary

portrait. I attempt to locate and capture the essence of the sitter ’s complicated state of

mind and state of being. Ideally, the portrait within the frame renders the totality of the

sitter ’s emotional range and the complexity

resignation, resilience, achievement and

facial expression. The images become two-

dimensional provocations of silent statements and are unavoidable confrontations between the viewer and sitter. My photography

endeavors to introduce the subject into the lives of the viewers in ways that influence

their day-to day experience. Finally, I seek to

create an image that is a fusion of my technical acumen and the sitter ’s physical, emotional, and experiential states.

— Titus Brooks Heagins, MFA 9

The space between us

he bulk of Titus Heagins’ work as a documentary photographer focuses on portraiture as a window into a distant world.

Whether the people he photographs are

define, teetering on the edge of sublime beauty

socially, Heagins’ insistence on placing them

envy. It is lust. It is the essence of love and of

removed from us geographically, culturally or squarely in front of us as declarations of their

common humanity calls into question our own

capacity for tolerance and openness in the face of difference.

Who are we in relation to them? How does

our own gaze implicate us? What meanings

and dreadful menace. It is dirty and pure. It is

beauty. Desire clings to the objects and images visible on our television sets and movie

screens. It is anticipation, enticement, appetite and longing. It is the projection of our deepest hopes and of our darkest fears.

The seductive power of “Desire and

and messages do those gazing back at us

Otherness” lies in its ability to captivate us

act of looking, cannot be reduced to simple

seem at odds with our established sensibilities.

convey? These complexities, inherent in the dichotomies of self and exotic other. Self-other relations are matters deeply rooted in notions of power and desire, fear and fascination,

politics and poetics. The large-scaled portraits that comprise the exhibition provide a rich

context for exploring the nature of otherness,

its relationship to desire, and one’s own gauge of internal conflict or comfort.

The range of experience within the space

called desire is multifaceted. It is difficult to 10

despite the fact that the images may initially

Japanese “Lolita girls”, elaborately costumed with ruffles and parasols reminiscent of

19th century Victorian fashion, seem out of sync with time and their own native culture. Boundaries are crossed. Lines

of distinguishable identities are blurred.

Conversely, a young Haitian girl stands before a sky blue wall. Her worn t-shirt displays an image of Disney’s Cinderella, the epitome of wish fulfillment — suggesting, in due time,

Papa's Petite Princesse, 20 09

the promise of magical transformation from

surround people wit h alb inism. Some b elieve

portraits we are acutely aware of the gulf

cursed. In some parts of the world, they are

the American dream that they project.

from their body parts will enhance wealth

Though his stance is inviting, his look is

from their body parts will enhance wealth

against a background of chili pepper red floral

and mythology surrounding people with

of masculinity and implicit androgyny. We

and prejudice around the world. Nicole

related to issues of gender, sexuality and the

surprising command of this image relies on

t h e surface.

spectacle of otherness and celebrate the beauty

rags to riches. The tension is palpable. In both

they are immortal. Others think they are

between the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; identity and the allure of

k illed in t he b elief t hat pot ions concoct ed

Ryan returns our gaze without apology.

or bring in the belief that potions concocted

unabashedly defiant. Displayed semi-nude

or bring good luck. The de-humanization

wallpaper, the photograph plays with the edge

albinism make them vulnerable to violence

struggle to resolve a host of uneasy feelings

is neither goddess nor demon. In fact, the

dy n a m i c s o f p o w er that simmer just beneat h

its ordinariness, its ability to transcend the

Another portrait presents Nikki. She is

an albino. Her pale features are the result

of everyday people.

As Peter Stallybrass and Allon White,

of a c o n g e n i t a l c o ndition that limits the

authors of the book, The Politics and Poetics of

h e r s k i n , e y e s a n d hair. There are many

the inside is normally associated with the most

p ro d u c t i o n o f m e l anin pigmentation in

Transgression, remind us: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In modern society

m i s c o n c e p t i o n s , b orn of ignorance, that

powerful socioeconomic groups existing at the

“ His portraits validate their lives and their humanity.”

center of cultural power. They demonstrate, exercise and preserve their power through

their ability to create and enforce the dominant definitions of normal and deviant, superior and inferior.” Those outside of this sphere of influence struggle to define and defend

themselves against a system that continually marginalizes and renders them invisible.

Whether photographing abroad or within

the confines of his own local community, Titus Heagins attempts to give voice to a

voiceless population. His portraits validate

their lives and their humanity. He has amassed an array of stunning portraits that challenge us to reconcile our judgments of

those who stand outside of our own familiar circles. He encourages us

to recognize that we are irrevocably bound to one another despite our differences. Through his work, he questions our conciliatory

participation in an unjust and imbalanced social enterprise. He offers a path for a deeper

understanding of how our own

desires play into the commodification and disenfranchisement of others. Ryan, 2009

Opposite: Jamila, 2009

—MARIANETTA PORTER

Professor, University of Michigan School of Art and Design

TITLE

14 Louis' Jeune Fille, 20 09

TITLE

Amanda, 20 09

Ashley and Chris Strike a Pose, 20 08

WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

Amanda

Jamila

Lolita Girls

2009

2008

Archival giclée print

Andy

Ja'nay

Louis' Jeune Fille

2009

Archival giclée print

Ashley and Chris Strike a Pose

Jermaine and Jeramie, Twins

Michael, Amanda and Luna

2008

2007

2009

Archival giclée print

Barbie

Jesse

New Store

2008

2009

2008

Archival giclée print

Contestants, Club CC

Julian

Nikki

2008

2009

Archival giclée print

Devonte Hayes

Kimora

Papa's Petite Princesse

2008

2009

Archival giclée print

In God We Trust

Kiss Me

Ryan

2009

2008

2009

Archival giclée print

* Minimum image dimension 34" x 50"

Opposite: Julian, 20 09

Jermaine and Jeramie, Twins, 20 07

E D U C AT I O N

titus brooks heagins

MFA, School of Art and Design, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

AB, Political Science Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS Smithsonian Anacostia Museum of African American Art and History, Washington, DC North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh,

North Carolina

Lehigh University Zoeller Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

North Carolina Central University Museum of Art, Durham, North Carolina Casa de Africa, Havana, Cuba AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS Hampton University Museum of Art New Power Generation 2005,

Ruben V. Burrell Photography Award American Photographic Institute, Tisch School, New York University Fellow, Summer 2001 University of Michigan

Alice Webber Glover Film Award, Fall 2002 Arts in Citizenship Fellowship, 2001–2002 Rackham Fellowship, 2000–2002 University of Iowa

Graduate Arts Fellowship Durham Arts Council

Emerging Artist Grant, 2007

Emerging Artist Grant, 1999 PUBLICATIONS International Journal of African and African American Art

Viajeros: North American Artist/Photographers’ Images of Cuba 21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Working with Titus Heagins on this exhibition has been a pleasure and a privilege. His

curiosity, compassion and extraordinary eye

have stimulated my perceptions and thoughts, and I am grateful for his willingness to share

his works so that others may benefit from his

perspectives. The Elizabeth Firestone Graham

Foundation provided funds for this catalogue so that the issues raised by Titus’s work

will find continued exposure after the

images come down

from the walls. The Frankie G. Weems

Gallery Endowment Fund supported programs in

conjunction with the

exhibition, as did the Meredith College art

department. Meredith College graphic

design major Kathy Foresta’s catalogue format sensitively

emphasizes the power of Titus Heagins’ work. To a l l o f

these people and Andy, 2009

organizations, I offer my thanks

a n d appreciation. —ANN ROTH Gallery Director, Meredith College

New Store, 2009

CATALOGUE DESIGN BY KATHY FORESTA