Paul Sepuya's Intelligent use of Space Inside the Studio and the Gallery
Through the class gallery experience the week of September 9, 2022, the exhibition that stood out the most was the Paul Mpagi Sepuya exhibition at the Vielmetter Gallery. Sepuya is an American contemporary photographer known for his intimate photographs. His work, by in large, focuses on people he has close relationships with set in a carefully designed studio space. His photographs inherently create an interesting relationship between the people photographed, the artist, and the viewer.
This show exhibits photographs taken in a studio using natural daylight coupled with dark room lighting, hence the title "Daylight Studio/Dark Room Studio." 19th-century studio interiors inspire the studio space itself. Sepuya photographed friends and lovers in this same studio space. He tackles ideas of queer identity and racialized bodies through his work, placing them in a typical European American setting (Vielmetter LA, 2022). Most of the gallery features large-scale daylight photos that are brilliantly contrasted by small-scale red prints. As the gallery states in their press release, the red prints create an elaborate visual metaphor: the red prints were created using red safety lights used in a photography dark room. It's "a double-entendre as both the space where film is processed and printed and those dark rooms in which other forms of exposure and revelation occur" (Vielmetter LA, 2022).
Walking into the gallery, you can immediately understand the show. There is instant sense of intimacy as you're confronted by people and bodies in a close setting. The bodies presented in the work simply exist in front of the camera as if they are in their own private room. The cropping of a few pieces makes some forms feel abstracted, turning the figures into soft shapes that ooze a sense of familiarity and perhaps sensuality. Although, most of the prints show entire bodies within the composition or just the 90s-style studio space.
The work has a way of engulfing the viewer in each piece. Even though the intimate nature of the scenes keeps you (the viewer) at an arm's distance, multiple factors still make you a part of a dialogue with the artist and subjects. It felt like Supuya was playing with juxtaposing topics of exhibitionism and timidness, and privacy and publicity. Many of the prints include glass tops with black backgrounds. It is clear the tops aren't a typical preservative, museum-style glass which prevents glare, making this feel like an intentional addition to the work. The reflective nature of the glass produced a kind of black mirror, which literally makes you part of the piece. This effect was really showcased in Supuya's "Drop Scene" (2019), with a simple black drop screen and a camera in front. When viewing the piece, you feel as though you're being photographed, or perhaps you are the photographer; you became part of the narrative.
The use of a reflective glass top and camera are included in numerous pieces. It provides the sense of being a part of a conversation. Which scene will I be placed in next? What role do I play in this scene? At times, I personally felt a slight bit of unease, as I was included in such private settings. For the most part however, I felt a sense of comfort and calm. The engaging compositions, simplistic color schemes, and gentle poses made me feel as though I was invited into a warm space. I found myself producing stories of the people in front of me, or putting myself in their shoes, almost like reading a book.
On top of the works themselves, Sepuya had benches and cushions (as seen in the prints) throughout the gallery. As our large class group roamed the exhibition, over half began to sit down. Without the white walls and concrete floor, the space itself would feel like being in a house. This added another level of reciprocity into the experience of the artwork.
This exhibition is an extremely worthwhile trip. It is unique to other gallery experiences, especially regarding photographic gallery shows. In the simplest of ways, it provided an active and interactive experience; one that felt warm and yet incredibly dynamic. Everyone can take different perspectives as they are invited into the space inside both the photographic studio and gallery.
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