Nueva Luz Vol 4 Issue 3 by En Foco, Inc.

N U E V A LUZ

photographic journal

Vol. 4 No. 3 0

74470 00001

Editorial Pa $ c

ay innumerables escuelas de pensamiento del arte, casi todas de origen europeo. La historia, los escritos, las ensenanzas y los conceptos emanan lodos de un punto geografico muy pequeno en la faz de la lierra. Las cosas buenas y las malas, las que se pueden hacer y las que no, los protagonistas y las reglas del juego (incluso las formas aceptables de romperlas) vienen todas de un sistema de creencias sobre las artes visuales que son predominantemente el producto del hombre bianco y tiene un caracter monocul tural. Esto no solo es pretencioso, sino tambien es el colmo de la maldad. Desde la Guerra Revolucionaria de 1776, se les ha negado la participacion en el desarrollo artistico de esta nacion a las incontables generaciones de las poblaciones autoctonas de las Americas (a las poblacioties meztizas que surgieron a raiz de un error de la ruta hacia las Indias), a los descendientes de esclavos africanos y a los inmigrantes asiaticos. Yo creo que los Estados Unidos han pagado bastante caro esta perdida; la falsa ilusion de una bondadosa democracia engendro un nivel de arte que depende mas bien de la novedad constante que de las fuentes de la inspiracidn. Los intentos que realizan los artistas de grupos etnicos minoritarios para reafirmarse en el mundo artistico parecen mas bien una artimana para reivindicarse. Su participacion poco frecuente y superficial en los movimientos artisticos de las instituciones de arte, exposiciones, publicaciones y museos se considera “correcta desde el punto de vista politico (otro termino reprochable y pretensioso).” Comenze a escribir un editorial sencillo y simpatico y ahora me encuentro lamentando las injusticias de las que han sido foco los fotografos de los grupos etnicos minoritarios de los Estados Utiidos. La verdad es que la mayoria de la gente sabe como y por que se ha errado y algunas buenas almas ocasionalmente han aaoptado una actitud firme por su buen sentido de justicia y tambien por aue son buenas personas. Yo nunca crei que valia la pena discutir sobre la intolerancia y el brejuicio con un fandtico, asi que dedique todos mis esfuerzos a darle mas realce a nuestros fotografos. Yo sabia que los verdaderos cambios surgirian cuando mas y mas personas comenzaran a notar la fuerza e importancia de nuestra obra. Ademas. toda esta campana dirigida a marginarmos nos ha ayudado a tornarnos hacia nosotros mismos y a explotar el genio creador y la inspiracidn de nuestras culturas. Nuestra fuerza nos la proporciona nuestra verdadera his toria; no viene de las versiones distorsionadas que los medios de comunicacion bresentan de nosotros, sino de las canciones y los cuentos al igual que de las perspectivas que nuestros antepasados y familias nos han legado de generacidn en generacion. Cualquiera que mire las noticias televisadas a las seis de la tarde notard cudn dificil es para nosotros mantenermos en nuestro sendero. Mis felicitaciones a todos los fotografos que han escuchado el grito de su inspiracidn y a todos los que to han hecho destacar.

here is such an empire of thought on an, mostly of European origin, the history, writings, teachings, con cepts all emanating from a fairly small parcel of geography on the earths surface. The rights and wrongs, do’s and don’ts, who the play ers are and the rules to play by (including acceptable manners of breaking them), all come from a visual belief system that is white and monocultural. At the least its presumptuous, at its worst its evil. Since the Revolutiotiary War of 1776, generations of tribal peoples of the Americas (its mestizo population resulting from poor navigation), desceridents of African slaves and Asian immigrants have, to any extent, been denied participation in the artistic growth of this couritry. I think the United States has suffered greatly from that loss; its self delusion as a good guy democracy engendered a level of art that depends upon constant novelty in place of inspired direction. Attempts by artists of color to assert themselves is seen as perficial inclusion an affirmative action ploy. The infrequent and supe of them into the mainstream art institutions, ex hibitions, publications and museums is referred to as politically correct (another term for opportunistic pretense). I started out to write a perfectly nice editorial and.found myself wailing about the ineauities and injustices that is the history of photographers of color in the United States. The fact is, most folks know what has gone wrong and some brave souls occasionally take a stand because of their own sense of justice and because they are good people. 1 never thought it was worthwhile arguing about bigotry and prejudice to a bigot, so I used my energies toward creating more exposure for our photographers. 1 knew the real changes would come when more and more people started noticing the power and impor tance of the work. Also, it was important for us to study how the forces of marginalization helped us to seek inspiration from our cul tures. We drew strength from our real history, not the media dis tortion of us but the songs and stories and visions passed on to us by our ancestors and families. Anyone who watches the six o’clock tele vision news will see iust how hard its been for us to keep our feet on the path. I congratulate all photographers who have listened to their true voices ana ha ve stuck it out. Charles Biasiny-Rivera Editor

Table of Coplepl? 1 2 12 22 32 33

Editorial.................................. Rhett Jalane Arens................... Flavia Gandolfo....................... Tony Gleaton............................ Commentary by Jeffrey Hoone. Comentario..............................

Cover photograph: In the Beauty Salon series, Flavia Gandolfo. Gelatin silver print, 13" X 13"

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Photographer and writer Rhett Jalane Arens, part Native American (Chippewa), was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1959, where he still resides. He received a BA. in Business Administration from the Metropolitan State University and pursued photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Association of Arts. His work has been published in the Minnesota Monthly, Petersons Photographic, RockBill, Metro Globe, Lake Superior Magazine, National Engineer and various other book covers, greeting cards and calendars. Some of his exhibitions include the Hennepin History Museum; The Loft Center Gallery, The Red Gallery and The Perimenter Gallery in Minneapolis. Awards include Blacks Annual Color Award in 1989 and U.S. Corporation Sponsored Award in 1988. Other docu mentary projects include They Call It Progress, a study of the crumbling small town infra-structure. “In the timespan of four generations, an entire nation has been assimilated, cataloged, displaced and handed the shaded areas on the state map known as Indian Reservations. This “created” boundary has been an abrupt adjustment; both men tally and physically imposed by a larger, more aggressive f<orce that entangles itself in bureaucracy, treaty litigation and (rui tural misunderstandings. Using a direct documentary approach, it is my hope to illuminate the boundaries that exist in the contemporary Native American landscape. Specifically, the midwestern plains. The fencelines in these images speak for what was lost, not gained (which is the traditional Eurocentric view point). The open expanse of horizon and the distant hills ask the viewer to move forward and explore. In most of the images, the juxtaposition of weathered and discarded man made ele ments placed under the open sky become evidence of this failed attempt to impose boundaries on the midwestern plains and a nations cultural heritage. I saw these elements as signposts, leading the eye back through the problems of our historical past: the decline of self-sufficiency farming, the crippling effects of alcoholism ana, finally, the meaningless contracts. All con tributing to the division of family and traditional values. The photographs were taken over a five year period. It is when I’m sitting on the fence that I’m suspended between my sovereign roots and contemporary society.’ All photographs are from the Fencelines series.

Rfyell Jalape Arep*;

Cold Storage Shelter, Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, 1990 .Selenium toned gelatin silver print, 9x13â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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Indian Scout Post No. I. Devils Lake Reservation. North Dakota. 1991. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. 9x13".

Rfyell Jalape Arep?

Tire Suing, Fort Berthold Reservation. North Dakota. 1993. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. 9x13".

Rfyell Jalapc Arep^

Satellite Dish, Red Cliff Reservation. Wisconsin, 1993. Selenium toned gelatin silver print, 9x13â&#x20AC;?.

Rl^ell Jalape Arep?

Bears Den General Store. Standing Rock Reservation. South Dakota. 1990. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. 9x13".

Rfyell Jalape Arep?

Clothesline, Sisseion Reservation. South Dakota, 1992. Selenium toned gelatin silver print, 9x13".

Rljell Jalape Arep^

School Yard. Fon Benhold Reservation. North Dakota. 1991. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. 9x13".

Rljell Jalape Arep?

Store Front, White Earth Reservation, Minnesota. 1989. Selenium toned gelatin silver print, 9x13".

Rljell Jalape Arep?

No Hunting, Standing Rock Reservation. North Dakota. 1991. Selenium toned gelatin silver print. 9x13".

Flavia Gapdolfo

Flavia Gandolfo was born in Lima, Peru in 1967. While enrolled in the Humanities Program at the Universidad Catolica del Peru, she became involved with photography as a self-taught activity. There she worked as a photographer and editor for the Correo newspaper in Arequipa. Gandolfo is cur rently completing her Master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been shown at the Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas at Austin-, The Museo de Arte de Lima, Peru; the Palacio de Congresos Y Exposiciones, Madrid, Spain. She just presented her first solo exhibition at the Forum Gallery in Lima, Peru. Gandolfo has been awarded many fellowships and awards, including a 1994 fellowship to attend the Photography Institute’s National Graduate Seminar at New York University (Tisch School of the Arts), and a 1994 Grant from Ilford Co. "In the last two years my photographic work, based on the identification of social issues, has been determined by new social experiences. These new experiences within a differ ent cultural area have given shape to new ways of seeing and interpreting society. However, most of my interests have only gone through a process of adaptation. My interest in exploring the visual representation of Peruvian idio syncrasies is now being translated within the context of the United States. In spite of their social differences, the search for images representing various human aspects from both cultures has estamished a continuous line throughout my work. Thus, common altitudes, customs and social practices among people from different places are now an integral part of the subject matter. The result is several different photographic series showing the universality of some social phenomena. The images show an evolution characterized by the use of new photograph ic techniques, which reinterpret the original image. The photographs are now a combination of vernacular subject matter and extensive manipulation. They are all portrait photographs which represent diverse issues such as identi ty, aging, femininity and death” All photographs are from In the Beauty Salon series.

Flavia Gapdolfo