Model 2, Post 4
I can’t seem to catch a break this summer…what with renovations, a leaky basement, work, two kids, and grad school…I’m surprised I can still stay awake! Sorry this is late, but at least I’m getting it in here…as my dad always says “it’s better to arrive late and alive than never to arrive at all”.
Getting back to photography and first nations identity…there have been a number of first nations photographers who have piqued my interest: Nadya Kwandibens. Her work on ‘Concrete Indians’ is an eye opener.
As one curator has stated of her work: “Kwandibens’ photos actively depict the Indian with passion and integrity. She captures an Indigenous spirit (individual and collective) and resuscitates characters overshadowed by the burden of false impression. Her aesthetic, whether shot in black and white or color, is cinematic. Her portraits carry personal and collective strengths forward and create lasting impressions.”
That’s exactly what needs to happen across the board when it comes to self-representation for Indigenous people! There’s no way any of the NGS photographers could do what she does. And coming from me that’s a huge statement, because I consider NGS photographers the cream of the crop (right up there with Magnum photographers, though in all fairness many NGS photographers are also Magnum photographers).
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/2011/11/nadya-kwandibens.html