Description: Head and torso view of a young woman dressed in white with a white head scarf walking alone among pedestrians on a busy street. She is turned to the left with her left hand to her face. She does not seem aware of the presence of the photographer at the time of the photograph. A partial view of a dark-haired young woman emerges from the left edge and the back of another figure dissappears into the right edge. The background is in the shadows and comprised by a blurry green architectural element and a red sign printed in French.
Label Text: Exhibition Label, 40 Years / 40 Artists, January 22–March 8, 2015: In his photographic and video works, Streuli reveals the infinite complexity of urban life, the ultimate social arena. From a chaotic plethora of information, he slows down the rush of human traffic to a chronicle of moments. The seemingly random, through the selective process of personal observation, instills the prosaic with drama and grace. This image from the artist’s three-screen video projection Porte de Flandre/Bruxelles, was shot at a bus stop in a section of Brussels with a predominantly Muslim immigrant community. While the presence of such communities is the topic of much current discussion, Streuli is not making any political statement. Rather, he observes the inhabitants of this city as an integral part of the urban milieu. The close cropping and extremely shallow depth of field accentuates the particular allure of their gestures, posture, and facial expression, as they absentmindedly and matter-of-factly move through their daily lives. - Loretta Yarlow
Tags: female; urban Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=UM+2014.18 |